The Rules of the Game
by Xtremeroswellian
Summary: Bosco and Faith find themselves in a predicament in which they can use only their insticts to survive. ****Epilogue up as of 9/06/02!****
1. Default Chapter

Title: The Rules of the Game (Prologue/?)

Author: X_tremeroswellian

Email: X_tremeroswellian@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: Only in my dreams do I actually own anything. All are property of Edward Allen Bernero and John Wells.

Rating: R for language, violence and sexual content

Spoilers: Up through and including "233 Days." 

Summary: Bosco and Faith find themselves in a predicament in which they can use only their instincts to survive. 

Distribution: My site Only Time, 55-HQ, and fanfiction.net. Others, just ask and I'll probably say yes. 

Category: Story

Subcategories: Action/adventure/thriller/suspense/romance/friendship/drama/angst...does that narrow it down too much? *wink wink*

Feedback: Makes me write faster. 

Author's Note: I sort of got this idea from a third season episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But just for the very general plot idea. The rest came out of my own messed up mind. :)

Dedication: For Dem and Bree

* * *

The Rules of the Game (Prologue)

"I can't go any farther." 

Bosco stopped and turned around, taking the moment to catch his breath. "You don't have a choice, Faith. Come on," he urged. He could hear the dogs barking off in the distance. 

She shook her head and leaned against the trunk of a large oak tree. "I can't. Just go on." She waved her hand at him. 

"Yeah, right," he replied sarcastically.

Faith looked at him, beads of sweat glistening on her forehead. "Bosco, just go."

"I am not leaving you here," he said firmly. He walked over to her, wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her forward. "Come on. We have to keep moving." 

For several long moments, all Bosco could hear was the crunching of leaves and twigs as the two of them moved through the dense forest. Then there was another sound, soft at first. 

She stopped, grabbed his arm. "Do you hear that?" 

He could see the fear in her eyes and it made him nervous. It wasn't a sight he was used to seeing. "Yeah. It sounds like--" 

"A horse," she finished.

"Come on. We gotta get out of here," Bosco said urgently.

"Yeah, but which way is it coming from?" 

He paused momentarily. She had a point. In the woods it was easy to get disoriented and it was hard to decipher what direction one particular noise was coming from. He turned in a full circle, then nodded uncertainly to their right. "Let's go that way." 

Faith nodded and started to follow him. They walked quickly for a short distance. 

The noise was getting closer. He could hear the sound of hoofbeats galloping through the foliage. He glanced at her sideways. "Run!" 

She didn't have to be told twice. 

Bosco hoped to God there weren't anymore traps hidden under the dead leaves, but at the moment, he was more worried by the thought of the horseback rider catching up to them. 

He heard Faith cry out from behind him, and he immediately turned. He saw that she was lying on the ground, clutching her ankle. Shit, he thought as he rushed to her side. "You okay?" 

She looked up at him, her face contorted with pain. He could tell she was trying not to cry. "I think it's sprained." 

He closed his eyes momentarily, then opened them again, looking around. His gaze settled back on her. "Can you walk?" 

Faith swallowed hard. "I don't know." 

He held his hand out and pulled her to her feet. He saw the look of pain flash over her face, though she tried her best to suppress it. 

"I don't think so, Boz," she said, shaking her head as she leaned back against the nearest tree, keeping her weight on her other foot. 

He hesitated only a moment. "Put your arms around my neck." 

"What?" Faith asked, frowning in confusion.

"I'm gonna carry you. Put your arms around my neck." 

She shook her head in refusal. "Forget it. You're just gonna have to go on without me." 

"Like hell," Bosco replied, taking a step toward her. 

"Bosco, I'll just slow you down. This way at least one of us has a chance of making it out of here." 

"I'm not leaving you here, Faith, so forget it!" 

"There's no reason for both of us to get caught," she argued.

"If you get caught, so do I. Deal with it," Bosco told her, knowing without a doubt that if the situation was reversed, she wouldn't leave his side. 

Before she had a chance to respond, the whinny of a horse pierced the air. He turned to see a big man on the animal's back, just yards away from them. 

"Oh, fuck," he said under his breath. There was no time to run and no place to hide. This is it, he thought. They'd survived for four days and now they were going to be caught.

"Bosco," she whispered fearfully, her hand clutching his arm tightly. 

He turned to look at her, emotions crashing over him. There was so much he wanted to say to her. "I'm really sorry," he whispered.

"Me, too," she whispered back. 

Bosco reached out and gently touched her face, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. A wave of fear surged through him and he turned to see the man on the horse galloping toward them. He didn't even care at this point what happened to him. But he was terrified of what would happen to Faith. He stepped in front of her protectively, glaring at the man as he stopped the horse only a couple feet away from them. 

The man grinned, looking down the barrel of his shotgun at them. "Well, well, well. Lookie what I found." 

-End Prologue-

* * *

Go to Part 1

Back to X_tremeroswellian's Third Watch Fanfic


	2. One

Title: The Rules of the Game (1/?)

Author: X_tremeroswellian

Email: X_tremeroswellian@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: Only in my dreams do I actually own anything. All are property of Edward Allen Bernero and John Wells.

Rating: R for language, violence and sexual content

Spoilers: Up through and including "233 Days." 

Summary: Bosco and Faith find themselves in a predicament in which they can use only their instincts to survive. 

Distribution: My site Only Time, 55-HQ, and fanfiction.net. Others, just ask and I'll probably say yes. 

Category: Story

Subcategories: Action/adventure/thriller/suspense/romance/friendship/drama/angst...does that narrow it down too much? *wink wink*

Feedback: Makes me write faster. 

Author's Note: I sort of got this idea from a third season episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But just for the very general plot idea. The rest came out of my own messed up mind. :)

Dedication: For Dem and Bree

* * *

The Rules of the Game (Part One)

Five Days Before

"I've got a couple of leads." 

Bosco glanced over at Faith as she climbed into the passenger seat of their squad. "On--?"

"Chevchinko," she responded, not looking at him.

"I thought Sullivan found him." 

"He did. But without Sergey's testimony, we've got nothing on him." 

He shook his head, disgusted. "So what are your leads?" 

She looked straight ahead, out the windshield. "According to Mazie, they've got a drug ring going in that old warehouse on 22nd and Rochester." 

Bosco looked at her. "And the other lead?" 

Faith hesitated momentarily. "An illegal medical operation facility. Supposedly they're taking random people and using them as unwilling organ donors, then selling the organs on the black market." 

"Where'd you hear that one from?" 

She shrugged. "It's a rumor on the street. I think it may be unfounded." 

"Hopefully." Bosco grimaced. "Although with as many missing person's reports that are filled out everyday in this city, anything's possible, I guess." 

"Yeah." She shuddered.

"What's the address on that one?"

"Cantrell and Minister. Out by the docks, in the old paper factory."

He frowned, then started the engine. "Be a convenient place to run that kind of an operation, what, with the capability of hauling corpses out to sea right there."

She nodded. "Should we check it out?" 

Before he could answer, their radios crackled to life. "Any units available, please report to 27th and and Edgar for a possible 10-29." 

Bosco grabbed his radio. "55-David responding, Central." 

"10-4, 55-David," the dispatcher replied.

He glanced over at Faith. "We'll check that lead out later." 

"Okay," she agreed, fastening her seatbelt as he pulled their squad onto the road, flipping on the lights and sirens.

* * *

"You all right?"

Faith glanced across the table to see Bosco gazing at her with a frown on his face as he ate another slice of pizza. "Yeah. Why?" 

"You've been quiet all day," he replied with a mouth full of food.

She made a face and sipped her pepsi, looking out the window of the pizza place. "Just thinking." 

"About--?" 

She shrugged, feeling uncomfortable. "Nothing." 

Bosco raised an eyebrow. "Right." 

She didn't respond. She didn't want to tell him because she knew he'd only get on her case about it and she didn't feel like listening to it right then. "You done yet?" 

"Geez, Yokas. What's your rush? We've got fifteen minutes left for dinner." 

Faith sat back against the booth, trying to tamp down her impatience. 

"You didn't eat very much," he remarked.

"Not hungry." 

He frowned again, leaning forward. "You should eat more, Faith." 

"Why's that?" 

"Well, because you never know when we'll have time to stop again." 

"Yeah, well, if I get hungry, I'll just wait until I get home." 

"You've been losing weight," he commented.

Faith looked up at him, surprised he'd noticed. "Yeah." 

"You're not sick again, are you?" His voice was casual, but his eyes were worried. 

"No, Bosco, I'm not sick again," she said with a sigh. She pushed her plate away.

He studied her for a moment longer. "Wanna go check out those leads of yours?"

"That'd be good." She finished off her soda and waited as he did the same. They stood up. She reached into her pocket for some money. 

"You paid. I'll get the tip," he told her, pulling out his wallet. He dropped a five dollar bill on the table and followed her out the door. "Where to first?" he asked, handing her the keys.

"We're closer to the docks," she pointed out, walking around to the driver's side of their squad. 

"Spare parts operation it is, then," Bosco agreed, sliding into the passenger seat.

Faith made a face at his casual description and stuck the keys in the ignition, starting the engine. "I really, really hope this is a false rumor." 

"You and me both," Bosco replied with a grimace. "Just think of all the paperwork we'd have to do." 

She shook her head as she pulled the car onto the road.

* * *

"This is it," Faith said, her voice low as she parked the squad outside of the abandoned factory.

Bosco stared at the building. "Think it's safe to go in?" 

"I don't know. What do you think?" 

He shrugged lightly. "I say let's check it out." 

She nodded, and climbed out of the car, her hand resting on her gun holster. Bosco did the same, walking beside her up to the building. They approached the door cautiously.

Faith drew her weapon and motioned for Bosco to get on the other side of the door. He did so and on her count, he swung it open and followed her in. 

The building was dark and completely silent. There was a cold chill in the air. He took the flashlight off his belt and flipped it on, shining it around. Cobwebs decorated what was left of the machinery and he caught sight of a rat scurrying across the floor, and then disappearing behind a pile of wood. "I don't think anyone's been here for awhile," he said, turning back to her.

Faith nodded toward a descending stairwell to their right. There was a door at the bottom of the stops. "Basement?" 

Bosco shrugged, then headed toward them, shining the flashlight on each stair so they didn't fall. He glanced back to see her standing behind him, then he turned the door handle slowly.

The door opened slightly and he could instantly see light from inside the room. "Jackpot," he said under his breath, drawing his weapon from its holster. He pushed the door open a bit more and he could hear voices inside. He crouched down and strained to hear what was being said. 

"...new location," a male voice said. 

"Where?" another voice asked. This one belonged to a male, as well, and had a very distinctive accent. 

Bosco glanced at Faith. 

"Chevchinko," she said, her voice barely audible.

He nodded, then turned to listen again.

"...island off the coast..." 

"...secure?" 

"Yes, Sir..." 

Bosco frowned, then leaned closer, trying to catch what he was missing. 

"...all set." 

"Except for new victims." 

"Yes." 

"...can find a solution to our little problem," Chevchinko said, giving a short laugh. 

He turned to look at his partner again. "Let's go in there and arrest him." 

"Maybe we should call for back-up," she suggested, hesitant. 

"I thought you wanted to catch this guy." 

"I do, but--" 

"Then let's do it." Bosco stood up from his crouched position and pushed the door open the rest of the way. He rounded the corner, pointing his gun at Chevchinko. "Police! Nobody move!" 

Chevchinko turned to look at him, surprise clear on his face. "Can I help you, Officer?" 

"You're under arrest," Bosco told him.

"For what?" he asked, his voice calm. 

"Probable cause at the moment," he responded. 

"I haven't done anything," Chevchinko said innocently. He turned his gaze to Faith. "Officer Yokas. So good to see you again." He smirked. 

"Put your hands in the air where I can see them," Bosco commanded the two men. 

They both complied.

He pulled out his handcuffs. "We're taking you both down to the station." 

"I don't think so, Officer." 

Bosco glared at him. "You don't, huh? Well, gee. I'm all broken up about that." 

"You'll point that gun away from me before it costs Officer Yokas her life," Chevchinko said cooly, nodding toward Faith.

A sinking feeling in his stomach, he turned slowly and saw a big man standing behind his partner, one arm locked around her neck and a gun pressed against her temple. He met her eyes. Oh, shit, he thought. 

"Put your gun down on the floor, Officer." 

"Unless you want to see her pretty little head blown off," the man standing by Chevchinko added.

His mind instantly flashed to seeing Ross after the shooting and a wave of nausea washed over him. He bent down slowly and set his gun on the concrete floor, his gaze never leaving Faith's. "All right. I did as you asked. Now you can let her go." 

The man holding Faith shoved her forward roughly, causing her to stumble. She caught her balance before she fell, then turned to glare at the man. 

He simply grinned back at her. 

"What do you want, Chevchinko?" Faith demanded angrily.

"What do I want?" He walked over to her. "What every man wants. Money. A nice home. To be able to take care of my family. Mostly I want the New York Police Officers to leave me alone." 

"Yeah? Then quit breaking the damned law!" Bosco snapped. 

Chevchinko smirked at him, then looked at her. "You have a different partner, I see. What is his name?" 

She just looked back at him, remaining silent.

His eyes narrowed and he nodded his head slightly.

The big man came up behind her and shoved the gun into her back.

"Maurice Boscorelli!" Bosco answered, glaring at the man. "Want me to spell it for you?"

"That won't be necessary." Chevchinko turned to him again. "Boscorelli...is that an Italian name?" 

"Yeah, after my father. He's a real asshole. You're probably related somehow!" he said angrily, upset that the man still had a gun pointed at his partner's back.

Chevchinko raised an eyebrow. "He has quite a temper, Officer Yokas. I like your other partner better." 

"Screw you!" Bosco snapped.

"Bosco." Faith looked over at him and shook her head. 

He shut his mouth, but glared at the man.

She turned her attention to Chevchinko. "Look. Why don't you let us go and we can pretend like none of this ever happened." 

Chevchinko looked at her. "I think we all know better than that, Officer Yokas. No, I think you know as well as I do that if I let you go, you'd have a warrent for my arrest in less than an hour. And since I can't let you go, then I must decide what to do with the two of you." 

"Anything happens to us, and this place is gonna be crawling with cops," Bosco warned. "It's only a matter of time before our backup gets here." 

The older man seemed to consider his words. Then he smiled. "Then I guess we'll just have to take you somewhere else, won't we?" 

Bosco met Faith's gaze. 

Chevchinko nodded his head, and he watched in horror as the man grabbed Faith from behind, shoving a white cloth over her mouth and nose. She struggled, her eyes wide with fear. 

"Faith!" he shouted. He made it exactly two steps before the other man slammed something down on the back of his head. He fell to the floor, his head pouding and his vision growing blurry. He watched helplessly as his partner's limp body tumbled to the floor a few feet away. 

"I think you just solved our dilemma, Sir," one of the men said.

"Yes," he heard Chevchinko agree. "They're both healthy, young, strong...they'll make excellent specimens." 

The last thing he heard was the laughter of the three men. Then Bosco passed out.

--End Part One--

* * *

Go to Part 2

Back to X_tremeroswellian's Third Watch Fanfic


	3. 2

Title: The Rules of the Game (2/?)

Author: X_tremeroswellian

Email: X_tremeroswellian@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: Only in my dreams do I actually own anything. All are property of Edward Allen Bernero and John Wells.

Rating: R for language, violence and sexual content

Spoilers: Up through and including "233 Days." 

Summary: Bosco and Faith find themselves in a predicament in which they can use only their instincts to survive. 

Distribution: My site Only Time, 55-HQ, and fanfiction.net. Others, just ask and I'll probably say yes. 

Category: Story

Subcategories: Action/adventure/thriller/suspense/romance/friendship/drama/angst...does that narrow it down too much? *wink wink*

Feedback: Makes me write faster. 

Author's Note: I sort of got this idea from a third season episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But just for the very general plot idea. The rest came out of my own messed up mind. :)

Dedication: For Dem and Bree

* * *

The Rules of the Game (Part Two)

"Bosco. Bosco, can you hear me? Wake up!"

He groaned, his head pounding as though he'd had a few too many drinks the night before. And he was shaking. Either New York City was in the midst of an earthquake or he was having some kind of seizure.

No, he realized.

Someone was shaking him.

"Bosco, please wake up!" 

A familiar voice was calling to him, an urgency to the person's tone.

He somehow managed to open his eyes, and he squinted. He found himself staring up into a pair of beautiful, worried brown eyes. 

"Thank God. I've been trying to wake you up for like twenty minutes. I thought you might be in a coma." 

Bosco blinked a couple times, feeling confused. "Faith?" he asked groggily, trying to figure out why she was at his apartment waking him up.

"Yeah, it's me," she answered, her strawberry blond hair hanging down in her face as she remained leaning over him.

"What are you doing here?" 

"I think the question to ask is where is 'here?'" she replied, glancing around nervously.

He frowned. "Huh?" 

Her gaze returned to his face. "Do you remember anything?" 

"Not so much," he admitted.

"Yeah, well, there's something you should--" 

Bosco moved his right hand up to touch the side of his head, but instead found Faith lying on top of him. "What the--"

"That's what I was trying to tell you." She winced as she moved off him. She held up her left hand and his right hand raised up along with it.

Bosco stared at the handcuffs in disbelief. "What the fuck?" He struggled to sit up, and managed to do so with some effort. He looked around, stunned to see nothing but trees and bushes surrounding them. "What the hell is going on?" 

"I don't know. What's the last thing you remember?" 

He closed his eyes, trying to recall what had happened. "Going into some abandoned factory...Chevchinko was there. Shit. One of his goons hit me with something." He rubbed the back of his head gingerly with his left hand. Then he opened his eyes and looked at her in concern. "Are you hurt?" 

"I'm a little nauseus from the chloroform," she admitted, her face a bit paler than usual. 

"Those fuckers," he cursed. He looked around again. "This is how they decided to get rid of us? By dropping us off in the middle of a damned forest?" 

"At least we're still alive," she pointed out.

"Just wait until I get my hands on that stupid S.O.B. I'll wring his scrawny neck," Bosco muttered.

"Yeah, well, you'll have to find him first." 

He heard the slight tremor in her voice and he quickly focused his gaze on her face. "What's wrong?" 

"You mean besides the fact that we don't know where we are, how we got here, or how to get back? That's not enough?" 

He started to reply when he realized that she was no longer wearing her uniform. She had on a white tank top, a pair of jeans and tennis shoes. He looked down and saw that he was no longer wearing his uniform, either. Instead, he had on a pair of jeans, tennis shoes, and a green t-shirt with a long-sleeved button down denim shirt over it. "They changed our clothes?" he said in disbelief.

Faith didn't respond. She was staring down at the ground. 

A sick feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. He didn't want to ask, afraid of what she might say. But he had to ask anyway. "Faith?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Did they--do something to you?" Bosco asked uneasily.

She looked at him. "What do you--" she started to ask. Then her eyes widened. "No. No, I don't think so," she answered, shaking her head.

He released the breath he'd been holding. "Thank God." 

They were both silent for a moment.

"So what do we do?" Faith asked finally, looking at him.

Bosco scratched his head. "I don't know. Maybe we can--" He started to stand up.

"Hey!" 

He looked over at her as she rubbed her left wrist, frowning. "Shit. I'm sorry. You okay?" 

"Yeah, just give me a little warning before you decide to stand up next time, all right?" 

"I forgot. Sorry," he said again.

"It's okay." They both rose to their feet at the same time.

"Maybe we're not too far from a road or a house or something," he said.

"I don't think they'd let us off somewhere and make it that easy for us to get back," she said, shaking her head.

He sighed deeply, knowing she was right. "What I don't get is why they didn't just kill us." 

Faith frowned. "It doesn't really make any sense." 

"No, it doesn't." He paused, pushing aside the thought for the time being. They were alive and that was all that mattered. "I guess the only thing we can do is start walking, right? I mean, eventually there has to be an end to the woods." 

"Yeah, eventually. The question is, what direction do we go?" 

Bosco looked up. The treetops were blocking his view of the sky. "If I could see the sun, I'd be able to tell what time it was and what direction we were headed in." 

"Guess that option's out," Faith remarked with a sigh. 

"Guess so." He looked around. "That way," he said, nodding to their left.

"You sure?" 

"Got a better idea?" he snapped.

Faith stared at him for a moment, a look of hurt crossing her face before she looked away. "No." 

He sighed and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, all right? I didn't mean to bite your head off." 

"Fine." 

"You ready?" he asked, glancing down at their bound hands. 

"Yeah." 

Without another word, they headed to the left, deeper into the woods.

* * *

"Let's take a break," Bosco suggested.

Faith nodded her agreement. "Sounds good to me."

They'd been walking for what felt like hours, but it was hard to tell since they had no idea what time it was. They sat down together, both leaning against the trunk of a tree.

She took a long, deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to ease some of the tension from her body. She had a dull headache and her stomach ached terribly. She found herself wishing she'd listened to Bosco when he'd told her to eat more pizza. She grimaced as she pulled her knees up, then reached down to rub her sore feet, which were killing her thanks to the one-size-too-small tennis shoes that Chevchinko and his men had put on her.

"This sucks," Bosco announced, picking up a twig and hurling it at a tree a few feet away.

"No kidding," she muttered. Her stomach growled.

He glanced at her. "Told you ya should've eaten more pizza."

"Shut up, Boz."

There was a moment of silence.

"I have to pee."

Faith groaned and buried her face in her free hand.

"Hey, I'm not real happy about this, either, all right?" he said defensively.

"What are you complaining about? All you have to do is whip it out. What am I supposed to do when I have to go?" she demanded.

Bosco sighed and rubbed his head. That was a good question. "I don't know, but I really have to go." He looked at her, waited until she was ready to stand up, then rose to his feet. They walked a little way, then stopped.

"Turn around," he said, feeling uncomfortable.

Faith rolled her eyes. "Oh, yeah. Like I wanted to watch." She turned around so their backs were to each other.

A moment later, "Well, at least I'm still wearing my own boxers," Bosco commented. She could hear the grin in his voice and she shook her head. After another moment, he turned to face her. "Done."

"Good for you."

"You need to go?"

"Not that badly," she muttered, embarrassed.

He shrugged. "Suit yourself." Bosco looked around. "Should we walk some more?"

"Yeah," Faith answered tiredly. "We'll have to stop when it gets dark and who knows how long that'll be from now?"

He nodded. "Maybe we'll be out of here by dark."

Somehow she seriously doubted that. And from the look on Bosco's face, she knew he did, too.

* * *

"I think we're going in circles."

Bosco looked at her. "We're not."

"Yeah?" She nodded toward the ground that lay in front of them. "Then how do you explain the shoe prints?"

He stared at them, then turned and looked behind them. "Son of a bitch! I can't believe this," he said angrily.

Faith sighed and leaned heavily against a tree.

He studied her, concerned by how pale she was. "Maybe we should stop for the night, try to get some sleep."

"It is getting dark," she commented. "Might not be a bad idea."

"Good. I'm exhausted. I feel like I could sleep for a week," he complained.

"You and me both." 

They found a large pile of dead leaves a few yards away and decided that that was the closest thing they were going to find for pillows. They both laid down on the ground on their backs.

"Night, Bosco."

He glanced over her. "Night, Faith." Bosco stared up at the trees, wondering why everything was so quiet. Other than a few crickets chirping occasionally, and the wind blowing through the leaves, all was still. He frowned, then swallowed. His throat was dry and he was hungry.

"We'll have to do something about food and water tomorrow," she said, her voice breaking through the quietness as though she was reading his mind.

"Yeah, I think that has to be our first goal," he agreed. He glanced over at her. "You ever been camping?"

"Sort of. When I was a kid, Stanley and I had this tent we'd pitch in the backyard once in awhile when our dad would get drunk. I mean, most of the time we'd just hide in our rooms until he sobered up, but every once in while we just couldn't stand being in the same house with him." Her voice was quiet, distant.

Bosco gazed at her in the darkness. "Did he ever...uh...did he ever hurt you?" he asked, swallowing hard.

There was a moment of silence.

"No. He never laid a hand on either of us. Or Mom," she said finally.

"Physical abuse isn't the only way to hurt someone," he said, his voice quiet. He leaned up on one elbow, faced toward her. "Was he mean to you?"

Faith sighed and raised herself up to peer at him. "Bosco, why do you want to know all these things?"

"Because you never talk about your life, what things were like for you when you were growing up, and... I just... I wanna know, Faith."

She reached up with her free hand and plucked a leaf out of her hair. "Was he mean to me? Yeah. Yeah, he was. Nothing I ever did was good enough. It didn't matter what it was: school, work, fixing dinner." She shook her head. "I never brought friends to the house because I was afraid of what he'd say to them. Or what he'd say to me in front of them."

Bosco waited for her to continue, but when she didn't, he let out the breath he'd been holding. "I'm sorry, Faith."

She shrugged, her gaze on the ground between them. "Don't be."

He nodded, looked at the ground. "Guess neither of our dads could have competed for the Father of the Century Award, huh?"

"Probably not, no," Faith agreed. She laid back down on her back.

"You ever miss your brother?" he wondered aloud.

"Yeah, sometimes," she admitted.

"You guys close growing up?"

"I guess so. I mean, we kinda had to be."

"Yeah." Bosco laid back down and stared up the treetops. 

"You miss Mikey?" she asked softly.

"I miss the way he used to be. The way he was before dad screwed him up," he replied.

"What was he like?"

Bosco took a deep breath. "He was a good kid. Did really well in school. He was smart, really smart. He could've gone onto college and been like a doctor something. But Mikey, he was... he was sensitive. Believed all of Daddy Dearest's B.S. about how stupid and worthless he was. He dropped out of school and started taking drugs. He threw his life away because of that asshole." He shook his head angrily.

He heard the rustle of leaves and looked up to see her gazing down at him. She reached out and squeezed his arm gently, remaining silent.

Bosco let out a breath and managed to smile at her. She smiled back faintly and laid back down. They were both silent for a long time. "Hey, Faith."

"Yeah?"

He hesitated, hoping what he wanted to say didn't come out wrong. "I'm glad you're here."

"What?" He could hear the confusion in her voice.

"With me... I mean, instead of someone else," Bosco said, stumbling over his words.

"Yeah, well, you're stuck with me, so that's good," she joked.

He smiled faintly. "I mean it, Faith."

There was another moment of silence. "I'd rather be stuck with you than anyone else, too, Boz." She paused. "Except maybe George Clooney."

He chuckled. "Good to know I rate right up there with Clooney." He glanced over her. "You'd rather be handcuffed to me than Fred?"

She didn't answer him.

Bosco frowned. "Faith?"

She exhaled slowly. "Yeah. Because he'd be on my case the entire time about how this whole thing is my fault."

"It's not your fault," he said instantly.

"He's divorcing me."

His mouth dropped open. "What?"

There was a long pause. "He said the only good things that ever came out of us being together are Em and Charlie. That I never made him happy."

Bosco was furious. "That asshole!"

"He was just being honest," she said quietly.

"No, Faith. He was being mean," he replied angrily.

"We've never been happy together, Boz. The only reason we got married in the first place was because I got pregnant with Emily. I haven't been in love with Fred for a long time."

He studied her in the dark. "Damn, Faith. I'm sorry." He shook his head. "What are you gonna do?"

She sighed deeply. "We'll have joint custody of the kids. I'll be looking for a smaller apartment."

"Fred's gonna keep you guys' place?"

"No. He's moving, too."

"Then why can't you stay?"

"I can't afford that apartment, Bosco. Not without the money Fred's bringing in with his delivery job."

"If you need a place to stay until you find another apartment, you're welcome to stay with me," Bosco offered.

She glanced over at him. "Thanks, but I'd probably drive you nuts in two days."

"What? No, you wouldn't. Did he tell you that, too?" he asked, feeling angry again.

Faith didn't answer.

"Whatever he said to you, Faith, he was wrong. He's a jerk and he's a moron. Don't believe him."

"Thanks, Boz," she said, her voice soft.

He nodded, wishing her husband was there so he could punch him in the face.

They both quieted down, lost in their own thoughts. Bosco was beginning to think she'd managed to fall asleep, when she spoke again.

"Bosco?"

"Yeah?"

"I have to go to the bathroom."

-- End Part Two --

* * *

Go to Part 3

Back to X_tremeroswellian's Third Watch Fanfic


	4. 3

Title: The Rules of the Game (3/?)

Author: X_tremeroswellian

Email: X_tremeroswellian@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: Only in my dreams do I actually own anything. All are property of Edward Allen Bernero and John Wells.

Rating: PG-13 for language, violence and sexual content

Spoilers: Up through and including "233 Days." 

Summary: Bosco and Faith find themselves in a predicament in which they can use only their instincts to survive. 

Distribution: My site Only Time, 55-HQ, and fanfiction.net. Others, just ask and I'll probably say yes. 

Category: Story

Subcategories: Action/adventure/thriller/suspense/romance/friendship/drama/angst...does that narrow it down too much? *wink wink*

Feedback: Makes me write faster. 

Author's Note: I sort of got this idea from a third season episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But just for the very general plot idea. The rest came out of my own messed up mind. :)

Dedication: For Dem and Bree

* * *

The Rules of the Game (Part Three)

Faith woke up first. Sunlight was streaming down through the treetops and giving the forest an almost enchanting appearance. She sat up slowly and glanced over at Bosco, who was still sleeping. He was snoring lightly. She couldn't help but smile. His hair was all disheveled and a leaf was sticking to one of his cheeks. She covered her mouth to supress a chuckle, not wanting to wake him. 

She leaned back against the trunk of the tree she'd slept under. Her muscles ached from laying on the hard ground and it reminded her of why she and Stanley had used their tent sparingly as kids. She looked around, trying to figure out how they were going to find their way out of the woods. 

Her stomach growled and she wished that there was a McDonalds around because one of their cinnamon buns sounded really great at the moment. Obviously that's out of the question, she thought, frowning. But they were going to have to do *something* for food.

She pushed away all thoughts of eating because it was only making her hungrier. She found herself thinking about her kids. She wondered what they were doing, wondered if they were worried about her. 

Faith pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her head on them. She wondered what Fred had told them. Did they think she'd abandoned them? The thought sickened her. 

Beside her, Bosco began to stir. He opened his eyes, squinting against the light filtering down on him. He looked over at her, yawning.

She smiled faintly as she reached over and pulled the leaf off his face and held it up for him to see. 

He groaned and struggled to sit up. "How'd you sleep?" he asked, his voice rough.

"Not so much," she confessed.

"Yeah, me either," he grumbled, rubbing his eyes with his free hand. Then he winced and rested his head on his hand.

"You still have a headache?" Faith asked, concerned. 

"Yeah." 

She scooted closer to him. "Let me see." 

He leaned forward, ducking his head so she could take a look.

She gently brushed aside the hair, wincing as her thumb felt the lump on the back of his head. "Sorry," she said instantly.

"For what?" 

"That didn't hurt?" 

"No. Was is supposed to?" 

"No. I'm trying to be careful." 

"I know. I trust you," Bosco told her.

She smiled and studied the wound for another moment.

"Am I gonna live?" he joked.

"I think so. But you'v got a nasty bruise. I wish I had some aspirin or something to give you for the headache." 

"You could always kiss it and make it better," Bosco said with a broad grin.

Faith returned the smile. Then, to his surprise, she leaned closer and very gently brushed her lips against the spot. She pulled away to look at him. "Better?" 

He stared at her. "Yeah," he said, swallowing hard.

She looked away, feeling slightly embarrassed, not sure why she'd felt compelled to take him up on that suggestion.

"So, uh...maybe we should try to find something to eat. I'm starving." 

"Yeah, me too," she said quickly.

He nodded and they both stood up. "Maybe if we're lucky, there'll be an International House of Pancakes somewhere around here." 

She snorted. "Yeah. One with a Holiday Inn right next door."

* * *

The hallways of the 55th Precinct house were eerily silent as Sully walked slowly toward the conference room.

Davis was sitting on the bench outside, his arms resting on his legs, a grim look on his face He looked up as his partner approached. "Any news?"

Sully sighed and sat down beside him. "I was gonna ask you the same thing."

They sat in silence for several long moments.

"You think they're still alive?" Davis asked, swallowing hard.

"God, I hope so," Sully replied, his voice low.

"Me too."

The door to the conference room opened a moment later and they both stood up, looking at Sgt. Christopher and Lt. Swersky.

"Sullivan, Davis," Swersky said, motioning them into the room. 

The partners exchanged a look, then Davis followed Sully into the conference room, where they both sat down at the table.

"Any word on Bosco and Yokas?" Sully asked, already knowing what the answer would be.

"Nothing," Christopher responded.

Swersky shook his head, staring out the window at the street below. "We have every precinct in New York City on the lookout for them."

"If they're not found by tomorrow morning, we're calling in the FBI," Christopher informed them.

Sully nodded, sitting back in his chair, a deep frown on his face.

"I don't understand this," Swersky muttered.

Davis glanced at Sully, then at the lieutenant. "Lieu?"

"I don't understand how two New York City police officers can go missing and no one in this city has any idea what happened to them!" Swersky turned around, a mixture of anger and worry on his face.

"It's like they vanished," Christopher said, shaking his head.

"No one vanishes into thin air," Swersky snapped, glaring at him. "Somewhere in this city, someone knows something. And we're gonna find that person with information, and then we're gonna use it to track down Yokas and Boscorelli. And we're gonna bring them home," he finished, determined.

Sully and Davis exchanged another look, both praying that he was right.

* * *

"I'm hot. And my feet are killing me," Bosco complained, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand as he walked beside Faith.

"Yeah, well I'm not kissing your feet, Bosco, so you can forget it."

He grinned, but as he was about to reply, his gaze fell upon a bush a few feet away A bush loaded with wild blue berries. "Tell me I'm not seeing things."

Faith followed his line of sight and her eyes widened. "If you're seeing things, then I am too."

"Thank God," he said, sighing with relief as they moved faster toward the berry bush. "I'm starving." He took another step toward the bush, when suddenly he was yanked backward roughly. The force caused him to stumble back into Faith, who quickly reached out and steadied him. He glared at her. "What the hell was that for?"

She pulled him back another step, then nodded toward the ground in front of the bush. "Bosco, look."

He turned to see what she was looking at. There, underneath a pile of dead leaves, was a glint of something large and metallic. The glare left his face. "What is that?"

"I don't know, but you almost stepped on it," she informed him.

Bosco glanced around, then picked up stick that was lying by his feet. He cautiously poked at the metal, moving some of the leaves around with the stick.

A loud, wooshing sound filled the air, followed by a metallic clang that made his ears ring. Leaves scattered, then settled again a moment later.

"Jesus," Bosco said under his breath, staring down at the contraption.

"What the hell is that?" Faith demanded.

"A bear trap."

"It looks like some kind of medieval torture device," she muttered, her eyes locked on the sharp metal teeth that had snapped the stick in half. 

They knelt down beside it. "I've seen these before. When I was in training for the Rangers," he told her, running his free hand on the metal surface. "They're dangerous as hell."

"No kidding."

"I don't understand why someone would set this unless--" A thought dawned on him. "Oh, shit." Bosco looked at her.

"Unless there are bears in these woods?" Faith guessed, glancing around nervously.

He nodded, swallowing hard.

She forced a smile. "Well, at least the only bears in New York State are black bears. I mean, they're better than grizzlies."

Bosco gazed at her. "Assuming we're in New York at all."

The smile froze on her face. "What?"

"We went into that factory at 9:00 at night. When we woke up, we were here and it was daytime. We have no idea where we are. We could be just about anywhere."

Faith stared at him, realizing he was right. "Damn it," she muttered, closing her eyes.

They were both silent for a moment.

She opened her eyes again, her gaze focusing on the sharp teeth of the snapped trap. "Hey, Bosco?"

"Yeah?"

Faith looked down at the handcuffs binding them together, then at the trap again. "You know how to reset this thing?"

He looked at her, then down at the handcuffs, his eyes widening. "I think between the two of us we can figure it out."

It took them several long minutes to determine how the trap could be opened and reset. When they had done it, they arranged it so the chain between the cuffs was draped over the teeth on the bottom of the trap, while they kept their hands back out of the way.

"You ready?" he asked her, picking up another stick from the ground.

Faith nodded and looked away, grimacing.

Bosco swallowed hard and poked at the trap with the stick, flinching when the jaws snapped shut once again. He looked down and saw Faith pull her hand away, half the chain dangling from her side of the cuffs, the other dangling from his own. "It worked!" he said with an excited grin.

"Looks like," she answered, smiling wryly as she rubbed her wrist gingerly around the bracelet of the cuff.

Bosco rose to his feet. "My partner is a genius!" he said as he reached down and helped her up, pulling her into a celebratory hug. 

"I could've told you that," Faith joked, hugging him back.

His smile widened. He stepped back away from her and turned to the berry bush. He moved past the trap, plucking a handful of blueberries and popping them into his mouth, closing his eyes as he savored the taste. 

Faith knelt down next to him and did the same, eating quickly. 

"You know something?" 

"What's that?" 

"I don't even like blueberries, but these are the best damned ones I've ever had," he told her, stuffing another handful into his mouth.

She smiled, raising an eyebrow. "That's because you're so hungry it doesn't matter that you wouldn't normally eat them." 

Bosco nodded his agreement. "You know something else?"

She glanced at him, waiting. 

"I think we're gonna make it out of here just fine. I mean, look at us. This is our second day here--wherever here is--and we've managed to break ourselves out of handcuffs and find food to eat. I think we're doing good." 

"You realize you just jinxed us, right?" 

Bosco looked at her. "You always gotta be so negative?" 

Faith shrugged. "Every time you say we're doing good or that it's a good day before the day is over, something always happens to reverse our luck." 

He just shook his head. 

"I'm just saying that now's not a good time to let our guards down," she said, gazing at him intently.

Bosco met her gaze, then nodded slowly, knowing she was right. They would have to be careful, even more so than usual. "We're gonna make it out of this, Faith." 

Faith managed a small smile. "I hope you're right." 

* * *

"God, it's hot." Bosco wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his shirt sleeve as they traipsed through the woods. "And I'm hungry again."

"It's starting to get dark. It should cool off soon," Faith said tiredly.

"Maybe we should think about stopping for the night."

"Yeah, that's probably a good..." Her voice trailed off and she stopped walking, her head turned to the side.

"Faith?"

"You hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"That sound."

Bosco stopped, listened. "I don't hear anything."

"No, it sounds like..." Without finishing her sentence, she turned and walked away.

Sighing, he followed her.

After a few minutes, Bosco found himself standing behind her on the banks of a river.

Faith turned and grinned at him. "And we have water."

He grinned back. "Thank God." Bosco quickly shrugged out of the long sleeve shirt he was wearing, then yanked his T-shirt off over his head. He felt her staring at him as he reached to unbutton his jeans. "What?"

"What are you doing?"

"Going for a swim." 

"Yeah, but why are you getting undressed?"

Bosco gave her look. "What? You want me to walk around in wet clothes all day?" he asked, undoing his zipper.

"Well, no, but..."

Bosco slid his jeans off and headed for the water. 

"Bosco, are you sure it's safe to go in?" she asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

He shrugged, giving her a half-grin over his shoulder. "Guess I'll find out." Without further hesitation, he waded into the water until he was in waist deep. He sighed as the temperature of the river cooled him down. He ducked his head under, then turned and saw Faith standing in the same place. "You coming?"

"I don't know," she said doubtfully.

"Come on, the water feels great," he told her, grinning.

Faith hesitated for another moment, then slid her shoes off. After another moment's hesitation, she unbuttoned her jeans and slowly stepped out of them.

He swallowed hard and averted his eyes as she pulled off her shirt and began to wade into the water. It's not like she was naked or he had never seen her undressing in the locker room before. He had, plenty of times. But somehow he'd never allowed himself to look at her. They worked together, they were partners, friends, it was against the rules. He respected her.

His gaze drifted back to her as she moved through the water. He swallowed hard again. But how had he worked with her for so long and never noticed how beautiful she was?

Faith smiled at him. "You were right. This feels great."

He smiled back weakly, feeling guilty. //I'm such a jerk.// 

She moved closer to him and his heart pounded a little faster. "Hey, Bosco?"

"Uh...yeah?"

"Do you remember a few years ago when that guy Williams was robbing stores and putting the money in plastic bags and tossing them in the river?"

He nodded, frowning.

"Remember how when we chased him, he jumped in the water and you didn't want to get all wet so you made me go after him instead?" Faith was right in front of him now, her face the picture of innocence.

He nodded again, his eyes locked on hers, unable to look away. 

"Hey, Boz?" she asked, her voice soft.

"Yeah?"

"It's payback time."

Before he could even comprehend what she'd said, she dunked him underwater.

He came up, wiping the water out of his eyes. She was laughing at him. He narrowed his eyes and without giving her a chance to react, he reached out and grabbed her shoulders.

"Bosco, no," she protested, her eyes wide.

He grinned. "You know what they say. Do unto others..." Bosco dunked her.

She came back up a few seconds later, choking on water.

The smile instantly left his face. He quickly wrapped his arm around her waist to steady her as she tried to breathe. "Shit, Faith, I am so sorry. Are you all right?"

Faith nodded her head, but continued coughing, covering her mouth with one hand. She took a few deep breaths and turned to face him. "I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" 

"Yeah, I'm good." 

"I'm really sorry," he said again, his eyes worried.

She gave him a half-smile. "It was my fault. I started it," she said, shrugging.

"Yeah, but--" 

"Bosco, it's all right," Faith assured him, resting one of her hands on his shoulder.

Bosco nodded, then realized just how close they were in the water. His arm was still around her, his gaze locked on her face, as hers was on his. He swallowed hard as they stared at each other for a long minute without speaking or moving. Then he gently lifted his hand to brush wet hair off her face, his hand lingering for an extra moment on her cheek. 

He pulled away suddenly, letting go of her and backing up slightly in the water. "So, uh...maybe we should camp around here, then follow the river's path tomorrow," he suggested, fixing his gaze on a large rock on the bank. 

"Yeah...yeah, that's...a good idea," she answered, her voice distant. 

He glanced at her and saw that she was facing the opposite direction. He grimaced, wondering how badly he'd just screwed things up between them. 

Had he really been about to kiss her? 

Bosco closed his eyes, cursing himself in his mind. //Damn it, you are such an idiot.//

* * *

Faith picked up several small twigs and carried them back to the pile she'd already collected, near the river.

"I got another one!" She heard Bosco call.

She turned to look at him, impressed when she saw he'd managed to spear a decent sized fish with the large stick he'd found. She smiled and gave him the thumbs up before turning back to the wood pile.

She shut her eyes for a moment, exhaling slowly. She would have given just about anything to be at home in her bed right now. She sat down tiredly next to the pile, and let her gaze return to Bosco, who was standing on the bank of the river now, removing the fish from his make-shift spear. 

//God, he looks good, she thought.//

Her face flushed and she forced herself to look away, embarrassed by her thoughts. Her eyes almost instantly returned to him. She found herself wondering how she'd manage to work with him all those years and never once notice how well-built he was.

"Stop it," she said under breath.

He glanced over his shoulder and smiled at her.

She managed to smile back, then watched as he waded back into the river once more. Her mind flashed back to just a little while ago when they'd been standing face-to-face in that river and he'd brushed the hair off her cheek.

She'd been so sure he was about to kiss her. But then he'd pulled away so suddenly.

//Maybe it's all in your head, Faith, she told herself.//

After all, why would Bosco kiss her? He'd never shown the least bit of interest in her before--at least not in that way.

No, she must have imagined it.

Faith absent-mindedly scratched at a mosquito bite on her arm, sad and disappointed.

The feelings startled her. Had she wanted him to kiss her?

She swallowed hard, forcing herself to admit that she had.

It had felt nice to have his arm around her, to be that close to him. And the gentleness in his hand as he had touched her cheek had been a pleasant surprise.

When was the last time Fred had shown her any kind of affection? She could hardly remember.

But the way that Bosco had looked at her--that was what had affected her the most. It was like he had looked right into her soul, and had found the answers to the universe.

She rolled her eyes, disgusted with herself for thinking like one of those weak women in some trashy romance novel like the ones her mom used to read all the time.

Faith shook her head and picked up one of the twigs in her hand, clenching it tightly in her fingers.

//For the love of God, this is *Bosco* you're thinking about, the voice in her head reminded her.//

She gazed at him as he cheered in victory when he speared another fish. "Yeah, it's Bosco," she said wistfully, her tone soft.

* * *

"It might be good to take turns sleeping."

Bosco glanced at Faith, who was sitting a few feet away from him, her knees pulled to her chest as she stared into the fire he'd managed to start.

"To keep the fire going and stay on the lookout for bears."

He nodded. "Good idea," he agreed.

She glanced at him sideways. "Hey, Boz?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for dinner," she said, a small smile on her face.

Bosco smiled back. "You're welcome. I'm just glad you like fish."

"I'm glad you got the fire started because I don't like sushi."

He chuckled. "Me either."

They both fell silent, gazing into the fire for several long moments.

"Faith?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think... anyone's out looking for us?" he asked, swallowing hard.

"Yeah, I'm sure they are. I mean, we never called in to Central and we've been gone for two full days. I'm sure everyone's doing their best to figure out what happened," she answered, her voice calm.

"Yeah, but what if..." Bosco stopped himself.

Faith turned her head to look him. "What if what?"

"What if Chevchinko made it look like we're dead or something?"

She frowned. "It'd be pretty hard to fake our deaths, Bosco."

"Yeah, but if anyone has the resources to pull it off, it's him," he pointed out. "I mean, what if we're stuck here for the rest of our lives?"

Faith sighed. "What happened to 'we're gonna get out of this just fine?'"

Bosco shrugged. "Realism finally set in, I guess."

She stood up, moved over beside him, then sat down again, resting one hand on his shoulder. "Look, we will get home, all right? It's just a matter of time. We know that someone else's been here because someone set that trap, remember?"

He looked at her and gave her a small smile. "Yeah."

"So it's not like we're totally alone out here."

"We wouldn't have been anyway," Bosco said quietly, giving her a meaningful look.

Faith met his gaze, and nodded slowly. "Right."

"I've got your back," he promised.

She squeezed his shoulder lightly, then moved her hand away. "You know I've got yours."

He smiled again, returned his gaze to the flames. "Yep." He heard her yawn, and glanced at her once more. "Why don't you try to get some sleep? I'll take first watch," Bosco offered.

"You sure?"

He nodded. "Yeah, go ahead."

"All right." She yawned again, then stretched out on her side, tucking her hands under her head. "If you get tired, wake me up," she told him as her eyes drifted shut.

"I will," he agreed, gazing down at her.

"Night, Bosco," she murmured.

"Night, Faith."

Bosco smiled slightly, feeling reassured that they were going to survive this little trip to the forest. He watched her face relax as she instantly fell asleep, the fire casting an almost surreal glow on her pale skin.

He swallowed hard and forced himself to look away, listening to only the crackling of the flames and the soft, even breathing of his best friend as she slept, neither of them aware they were being watched.

-End Part Three-


	5. 4

Title: The Rules of the Game (4/?)

Author: X_tremeroswellian

Email: X_tremeroswellian@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: Only in my dreams do I actually own anything. All are property of Edward Allen Bernero and John Wells.

Rating: PG-13 for language, violence and sexual content

Spoilers: Up through and including "233 Days." 

Summary: Bosco and Faith find themselves in a predicament in which they can use only their instincts to survive. 

Distribution: My site Only Time, 55-HQ, and fanfiction.net. Others, just ask and I'll probably say yes. 

Category: Story

Subcategories: Action/adventure/thriller/suspense/romance/friendship/drama/angst...does that narrow it down too much? *wink wink*

Feedback: Makes me write faster. 

Author's Note: I sort of got this idea from a third season episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But just for the very general plot idea. The rest came out of my own messed up mind. :)

Dedication: For Dem and Bree

* * *

The Rules of the Game (Part Four)

"You're a worthless piece of shit, you know that, Maurice? Always have been, always will be," his father told him.

"You don't even know me," Bosco said angrily.

"I don't have to know you to know that you're trash."

He pointed to his badge. "You can't talk to me like that anymore. I'm a cop now!"

Without any warning, his father punched him in the face, hard. Bosco fell backward onto the ground. "You've got a fucking badge. Big damn deal. What the hell does that prove?" he demanded.

Bosco lifted a hand to his mouth, his fingers brushing the blood off his lips.

His father toward over him, glaring down. "You're gonna be just like me," he said darkly.

"I'll never be like you," Bosco spat.

His father promptly kicked him in the ribs. "You already are."

* * *

Faith returned to the campsite after going to the bathroom and washing up a bit in the water from the river. The sun was starting to rise and she sighed heavily as she thought about another full day of walking in the woods. 

"Never gonna be like you..." Bosco whispered.

Faith looked over to see Bosco's face contorted as he slept. Her heart broke for him as she realized he was in the midst of a nightmare.

Without thinking about it, she reached out and gently touched his cheek. His expression softened and she could see his tense body relax, though he didn't wake up.

She leaned down and pressed her lips to his forehead in a soft kiss, then sat up again, resting her hand on the side his head. "Oh, Bosco," she whispered sadly. "I wish there was something I could do to help you."

* * *

"Get away from him," he heard a familiar voice command.

"Who the hell are you?" his father demanded. 

Bosco's eyes were swollen shut from the beating and he laid on the ground, unable to move.

"You're a sick bastard, you know that? How could you do that to your own son?"

"Mind your own business," his father snapped.

"I won't let you hurt him again!"

The voice clicked in his mind, and somewhere mixed in with the pain, he felt relief. Faith. Faith was there. She was going to help him.

"You can't stop me, bitch!"

A second later he heard the sound of flesh connecting with flesh and he winced, fear rushing through him. "Don't... hurt her," he pleaded with his father. "Please don't hurt her."

"Bosco?" He heard her voice again, this time closer. "Can you hear me?"

"Faith," he whispered.

He felt her hands gently touching his face. "I'm right here, Boz."

"It... hurts."

"I know," she whispered back. She gently kissed his eyelids.

He opened them, surprised to realize the pain there was gone. He watched as she leaned over him, her beautiful brown eyes full of sorrow as she kissed his bruised cheeks, causing the pain there to quickly fade and disappear, as well. He stared up her in amazement. "Faith?"

"I'm sorry he hurt you," she whispered, tears in her eyes.

Bosco reached up and touched the side of her face. She turned her head and pressed a kiss into the palm of his hand.

She looked down at him again, mesmerizing him with her eyes. "I love you."

His heart clenched, joy flooded through him. "I love you," he whispered back.

Faith smiled softly, then leaned over and gently kissed his lips, the cuts and bruises vanishing. She pulled away to look at him.

"Don't leave me," he pleaded, threading his fingers through her silky, strawberry blond hair.

"I'll never leave you, Boz," she promised, her eyes sparkling.

Bosco gently pulled her face down to meet his, kissing her on the lips, his eyes drifting shut. 

She broke the kiss a moment later. "Bosco. Bosco. Boz, wake up," she said, a hint of urgency in her tone.

He opened his eyes and looked up at her. "What?"

"I heard gunshots off in the distance," Faith told him, her eyes wide with excitement.

"Gunshots?" he repeated, confused. He struggled to sit up, looking around for his father.

"Yeah, someone's out here hunting. Bosco, whoever it is will be able to help us. He probably lives around here, and if not, he probably has a car and can drive us to a phone."

Bosco blinked a few times, shaking his head to clear his mind.

"Boz? You okay?" she asked worriedly.

"What? Oh, uh, yeah."

"You were having a bad dream."

"A dream," he repeated slowly, staring at the ground.

Faith laid her hand on his shoulder. "You want to talk about it?"

He looked up at her, swallowing hard as he met her brown eyes. "No," he answered, remembering the sensation of kissing her only moments ago. //In my dream, he reminded himself. It was just a dream.//

She nodded, then looked around. "We should get going. We need to find this guy," she said, turning back to him again.

Bosco nodded and stood up, exhaling slowly.

"We're going to be rescued," she said, her eyes shining.

He smiled. "Thank God." To his surprise, she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. He hesitated only a second before hugging her back, his eyes drifting shut.

Faith pulled away slightly and gazed up at him. 

He opened his eyes and looked back at her silently.

"Boz?" she whispered.

"Yeah?" he said, his voice low.

"We uh...we need to put this fire out," she said, nodding toward the campfire.

"Right," he said, stepping back. "I'll just do that." He turned away from her, heading for the river to figure out how to get some water to extinguish the fire. He ran one hand through his hair as he looked at his reflection in the water's surface. "Oh, boy," he muttered, shaking his head. "I'm in big trouble."

* * *

Doc stared down at the tabletop in the fire house as he sipped his coffee. Carlos sat beside him to his right and Alex to his left. They were both silent.

"I can't believe this is happening," Kim murmured, as she ran a hand through her hair and sat down across from him. 

"Me either," Alex said quietly, not looking up.

"Davis said they'd be calling in the FBI today," Carlos spoke up.

Just then, Jimmy walked in the room. "Any word?"

"No, nothing," Alex responded with a sigh.

He leaned against the counter, folding his arms across his chest. "I still can't believe Boscorelli and Yokas are missing."

I know. It's so weird," Carlos said, resting his arms on table.

"It's not weird. It's awful," Kim said, frowning.

"No, I just meant... I see them all the time when Doc and I go on runs and now..." His voice trailed off and he shook his head.

They were all silent for a moment.

"Yokas has kids, doesn't she?" Jimmy asked.

"Yeah, two of them. A boy and girl," Kim responded.

"Emily and Charlie," Doc said quietly, sipping his coffee.

"How'd they take the news?" 

Carlos glanced over at Jimmy, then at Alex. "Sully and Davis told her husband. I guess he was going to tell the kids," she supplied.

"What about Bosco's family?" he asked.

"Does Bosco even have a family?" Carlos asked, frowning.

"As far as I know, it's just his mom," Alex answered. "Sully gave her the news."

"I didn't even know his mom lived around here," Kim said, looking at her partner.

Alex shrugged. "She runs a bar down on 83rd."

"I guess I just always assumed that the closest thing to family he had was Yokas. They were always so close, and I never did understand why she cared so much," Jimmy said.

"Stop talking about them in the past tense," Kim said sharply. "They're *not* dead." 

He stared at her, then looked at the ground. "It's been three days," he said quietly.

She rose to her feet, glaring at him. 

"Whoa, easy," Alex said softly, putting a hand on her shoulder. 

Kim took a deep breath and tried to hold her temper. "They're not dead," she repeated, her voice calmer this time.

"She's right." 

Everyone turned to look at Doc. 

"I've known them longer than anyone here. And if there's one thing that I've learned about Faith and Bosco, it's that they always beat the odds. Always," Doc said, looking at each of them, his gaze finally settling on Kim.

Their eyes met and she gave him a grateful smile.

"They're probably on their way back right now," Carlos agreed, sitting back in his chair.

"God, I hope so," Alex murmured.

They grew silent, each lost in his or her own thoughts and prayers that the two officers that were missing would make it back safely.

* * *

"I can't wait to go home and crawl into my nice warm waterbed," Bosco said, grinning as he stretched his arms over his head.

"I just want to take a hot shower, change my clothes, see my kids and never, ever go anywhere near a forest again," Faith answered as they walked.

He stopped, putting his hand on her arm. "What? You mean you're not having a good time?" he mocked.

She rolled her eyes and started walking again. "Oh, yeah. Being stranded and lost in the middle of the woods is my idea of a dream vacation."

He followed her, a smile tugging at his lips. "If you say so. Personally, though, I'd prefer Hawaii."

Faith snorted. "On our salary? Dream on, Boz."

He chuckled. "Yeah, good point."

"Bosco, look!" she said suddenly, pointing.

He followed her line of sight and caught a glimpse of someone in a bright orange vest several yards away. 

Faith grinned at him and they both moved toward the man, walking quickly. When they were within shouting distance, Bosco called out. "Hey! Over here!"

The man turned around, a shotgun in his right hand, pointed at the ground. 

"We need some help!" Faith called, waving at him.

The man smiled and waved back. Then he raised his gun and pointed it in their direction.

"What the hell is he doing?" Bosco demanded, alarmed.

She backed up into him, grabbing his arm.

He heard a loud boom and felt a bullet wizz by his head. "Oh, shit! He's shooting at us!" 

"Run!" she said urgently.

He quickly grabbed Faith's hand and took off running back in the direction they'd come from. He heard the gun go off again and cringed when the bullet splintered the wood on one of the trees right in front of him. 

Bosco dodged further into the tree line, pulling her along with him. The guy fired two more shots--one that just barely missed his arm, and another that was way off target.

They ran for a long time, occasionally glancing over their shoulders to see if the man was following them.

"I think we lost him," Faith panted as they stopped to catch their breath. 

He leaned over, put his hands on his knees. "I hope so." The minute he caught his breath, he stood back up, growing angry. "Why the fuck was he shooting at us?"

"Keep your voice down," she warned, leaning against a large oak tree for support.

"I can't believe this! That stupid fuck Chevchinko dropped us in the middle of some forest with a God-damned psychopath!" 

Faith watched him pace back and forth angrily."Just stay calm, all right?" she said, her voice low.

"Stay calm? How the hell am I supposed to stay calm when we're lost in the woods, unarmed, with a deranged man and his shotgun?" he demanded. 

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, struggling to control her own fears. "We'll figure something out."

"Yeah, I'm sure the 55th precinct house is really just up the river," he said sarcastically, looking around.

She sighed and opened her eyes again. "Let's just follow the river's path back the way we came from. It has to eventually lead to something," she said wearily.

Bosco turned to look at her, his anger quickly changing to fear as his gaze locked on her right arm. "Oh, my God, Faith, you're bleeding." He rushed over to her side just as she looked down.

"Yeah, one of the bullets grazed my arm," she muttered.

"Jesus, why didn't you say something?" he asked, immediately shrugging out of the long sleeve shirt. He quickly ripped off one of the sleeves. 

"I was a little busy running for my life," Faith replied, grimacing as he pressed the cloth against her wound.

"Sorry," he said softly, glancing at her face briefly.

"It's okay."

"No, it's not," he muttered, shaking his head as he tied the sleeve around her arm. "When I find that guy, I'm gonna rip his fucking hand off."

Faith looked up at him, and gently touched his cheek with her left hand. "Bosco, I'm all right. It's just a flesh wound."

"I don't care, Faith. I'd rather me get hurt or shot than you," he said, his voice cracking slightly as he stared at the blood seeping through the makeshift bandage on her arm.

Wordlessly she pressed her lips against his forehead. 

He closed his eyes tightly, swallowing hard before he wrapped his arms around her, leaning his head against hers. "Tell me were gonna make it outta this all right."

She held him a little tighter. "We will, Boz," she whispered in his ear. "I promise."

* * *


	6. 5

Title: The Rules of the Game (5/?)

Author: X_tremeroswellian

Email: X_tremeroswellian@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: Only in my dreams do I actually own anything. All are property of Edward Allen Bernero and John Wells.

Rating: PG-13 for language, violence and sexual content

Spoilers: Up through and including "233 Days." 

Summary: Bosco and Faith find themselves in a predicament in which they can use only their instincts to survive. 

Distribution: My site Only Time, 55-HQ, and fanfiction.net. Others, just ask and I'll probably say yes. 

Category: Story

Subcategories: Action/adventure/thriller/suspense/romance/friendship/drama/angst...does that narrow it down too much? *wink wink*

Feedback: Makes me write faster. 

Author's Note: I sort of got this idea from a third season episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But just for the very general plot idea. The rest came out of my own messed up mind. :)

Dedication: For Dem and Bree

* * *

The Rules of the Game (Part Five)

"I can't believe we went all that way just to turn around and have to come all the way back," Bosco complained as they walked past where they'd camped the night before. 

Faith didn't respond.

"I bet we wasted half the day."

"Bosco, it's probably not even noon yet."

"I bet it's at least two."

"Yeah, well, you know, maybe if you hadn't slept half the morning, we could have gotten an earlier start," she said, her voice holding a slight bit of impatience. 

"What? So now this is my fault?"

Faith sighed and massaged her temples gently.

"Headache?" he asked, the annoyance in his voice changing to concern.

"Yeah. I really wish I had a bottle of Advil," she muttered.

"Well, with any luck we'll find the end of this river soon and there'll be a city or a town or something." 

"Wouldn't that be nice?"

"Yeah, just as long as we don't run into Yosemite Sam again," Bosco muttered, glancing around.

She couldn't help but grin.

His gaze dropped to the path before them and without thinking, he reached out and grabbed Faith's hand, yanking her backwards, freezing in place. 

"Bosco, what?" she asked, frowning as she looked at him. His eyes were wide as he stared in front of them. She followed his line of sight and relaxed when she saw a small red and black and white snake slithering across the path.

"Don't move," he whispered, his face pale.

"He's not gonna hurt you."

"How do you know?"

"Because it's just a harmless little milk snake, Bosco. They're not poisonous."

"Are you sure?"

Faith nodded, pulled her hand away and moved toward the reptile, which quickly slithered into a bush. "See? He's more afraid of you than you are of him."

"Who said anything about being afraid?"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, that's right, I forgot. You're not afraid of anything." She started walking again. 

"I'm not afraid of snakes," Bosco insisted as he caught up with her. "I just don't like them."

"Okay."

"I'm not."

"All right."

"I am not afraid of snakes!"

"Jeez, Boz. Would you chill out? I said okay." 

"It's the way you said it."

She rolled her eyes again, but didn't respond this time as she continued walking, occasionally looking around for any signs of danger.

"I wonder what everyone thinks happened to us," Bosco said a few minutes later. 

She shrugged. "Who knows? I'm trying not to think about it." 

His brow furrowed. "Why?"

"Because I'm worried that Em and Charlie are going to think I abandoned them," Faith admitted, her voice quiet. 

He touched her shoulder. "They wouldn't believe that in a million years." 

"They're kids, Boz."

"They know how much you love them. They know you would never do something like that."

"You think so?" she asked hopefully. 

He stopped walking, placed both hands on her shoulders and gazed at her. "I know so."

Faith gave him a small smile. "Thanks, Bosco," she said sincerely, feeling a little better.

He smiled back. "You're welcome."

* * *

Davis was walking out of the precinct, his eyes focused on the ground, lost in thoughts of his missing friends when he heard a voice calling him from across the street. 

"Hey!"

He turned and saw Alex Taylor crossing the road, walking toward him. He swallowed hard. Things had been tense between them for awhile now. He knew he'd mess things up between them and while he regretted it, he wasn't sure he could fix the damage. "Hey."

"You off work?"

"Nah, just on break," he told her. 

Alex nodded, studied him. "How are you?"

"Well, I'm not the one missing, so I guess I'm good." He closed his eyes, exhaled slowly. "Sorry."

"Don't be. Two of your co-workers are missing. You have the right to be upset," she said gently.

He nodded, looked back at her. "The precinct has been overrun by a bunch of federal agents."

"Having they found anything?"

He shook his head. "No, nothing." He rubbed the back of his neck. "They've been missing for three days."

Alex touched his arm. "Have you slept at all?"

"Not much," Davis admitted tiredly. "I just feel like I need to be out there looking, you know?"

She met his gaze, her eyes sad. "Yeah, I do," she said softly.

There was a moment of silence.

"I should... go back in there," he said finally, hesitating.

She nodded and he turned away. "Hey, Ty." 

"Yeah?"

"You want to get a drink after the shift? Maybe talk some more?" 

Davis looked at her for a moment, a faint smile on his lips. "I'd like that."

* * *

"How is your arm?"

Faith glanced over at Bosco and shrugged. "A little sore, but the bleeding has stopped. I'll live."

He grimaced.

"Boz, it's fine. It's just a flesh wound," she reminded him.

"Does it hurt?"

"Not much."

"You're sure?"

She sighed. "Bosco, I've had two kids. This--" she said, pointing to her arm. "-- is no big deal."

"Okay, I just --"

At that moment, there was a loud shriek and someone jumped out of the bushes at them, wielding a large stick. Before either of them had a chance to react, the man clubbed Bosco hard on the back.

Without hesitation, Faith tackled the guy, sending him sprawling face first into the dirt. She yanked his arms behind his back and held him down with no problem. "Bosco, are you all right?" she asked worriedly, watching as he sat up, his hand going around to rub his shoulder.

Bosco grimaced. "Yeah, I think so." He stood up and moved over to her, his eyes narrowing as he glared down at the man who had attacked them.

"Who are you?" Faith demanded, angry.

The guy didn't respond.

"She asked you a question, asswipe. Answer her!"

"Who are you?" she asked again, not letting go of his arms.

"You caught me. Go ahead. Kill me," he responded.

Bosco and Faith looked at each other in confusion.

"Go on! Do it!" There was a hint of hysteria in the man's voice.

"Why would we kill you? What did you do?" Bosco asked, folding his arms across his chest.

He laughed, an almost maniacal sound."I didn't do anything! You're the murderers! Stop playing games and just kill me!"

A deep frown appeared on Faith's face, and she let go of his arms and stood up.

The guy remained laying down on the ground. "Kill me!" he screamed.

"Take it easy. No one is killing anyone," she told him, looking at Bosco, worried.

He looked up, confusion on his face. "Who are you?"

Bosco glanced at Faith, then down at the man. "We're New York City police officers. Who the hell are you?"

The guy stared at Bosco, giving him a chance to study him for the first time. The guy was dirty. The Army fatigues he wore were stained and torn. His black hair hadn't been combed in a long time and he had a long, uneven and scraggly beard. 

"Sir, what's your name?" Faith asked, her voice soothing and quiet.

"Danny," he answered finally, looking back and forth between them. "You guys are really cops?"

She nodded. "Yes, we are."

"I'm sorry for hitting you. I thought you were one of them," he told Bosco.

"One of who?"

"The predators."

"The predators?" Faith repeated, confused, looking at Bosco, who just shrugged. 

"Yeah, predators." He glanced at her, then at Bosco, then back to her. "You know, the hunters."

Bosco frowned.

Danny saw the blank look on Faith's face, then at the nearly identical expression on Bosco's. "You don't know about the game?" He finally stood up.

Bosco sighed, starting to feel impatient. "What game? What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded, eyeing the younger man wearily.

"Then if you're not hunters, you're prey, like me," he mumbled, more to himself than them. 

Faith saw the annoyance in her partner's eyes and took a small step toward Danny. "I'm afraid we don't know what you're talking about, Danny."

He laughed, that same maniacal sound and she shivered involuntarily, the hair on the back of her neck standing up. "Sorry, it's been a while since I've seen anyone besides them..." He smiled at her.

She gave him a small smile back, but it was forced.

His smile widened and he took a step toward her, reaching out to touch her face. She immediately took a step back.

"Hey! Don't touch her," Bosco said, alarmed as he reached out and grabbed the back of the guy's shirt, yanking him backwards. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"Sorry..." he told Faith, gazing at her. "You look like her..."

Bosco didn't let him go, glaring at him. "Start talking before I get really pissed off," he commanded.

"Boz," Faith said quietly, moving to his side. She looked at the younger man. "What did you mean about a game? And us being prey?"

"I can't believe you don't know. Haven't you run into them yet?" he asked in disbelief.

Bosco clenched his jaw. "I swear to God if this lunatic doesn't start making some sense..." he muttered to Faith.

She ignored him, her gaze focused on Danny. "Are you talking about the man with a shotgun?"

"He's one of them."

Bosco and Faith stared at him. "One of them?" Bosco repeated.

Danny nodded, another near hysterical laugh escaping his lips. "There are at least five."

Faith felt a ball of anxiety form in her stomach. "Are you telling us that we're... being hunted?"

Danny nodded.

"Jesus," Bosco muttered, looking at Faith, whose face had gone pale.

"How long have you been here?" she asked.

"Two weeks, three... I don't know. Shannon and I kept track for the first few days, but then..." His voice trailed off, a wild looked in his eyes. "Then I lost track." He laughed again, a high pitched sound. "Doesn't matter really."

"Shannon?" Bosco repeated.

Danny looked back at him, then at Faith, his eyes haunted. "She was my girlfriend."

Faith felt her blood run cold. "What happened to her?" she asked, her voice just above a whisper.

He looked down. "We were caught by a man on horseback..." He swallowed hard. "Most of them will just kill you, but the guy who found us..." He met her eyes again. "He's sadistic. He made me... made me watch. I couldn't... stop him. The things he did to her..."

Bosco suddenly felt sick. He looked at Faith again

"I'm sorry about your girlfriend," she said quietly.

"I got away! And I won't let him catch me again!"

Bosco finally let go of the back of Danny's shirt. He moved a step closer to his partner and glanced around the woods.

Faith met his eyes momentarily, then looked back at Danny. "We're going to find a way out of here. Stay with us and we'll do everything we can to protect you."

"Do you have a gun?" he asked, laughing again.

"No," Bosco admitted.

"Then you can't even protect yourselves, let alone me. Besides that, even if you make it out of the woods, what are you going to do? Swim all the way back to New York City?"

"What do you mean?" Faith asked, uneasily.

"What? Did you think you could piss off Chevchinko and he would just drop you in the middle of a forest for you to find your way out again? Don't you get it? This is the game he created. You're not going to win." 

"You know Chevchinko?" Bosco asked, surprised.

"I used to work for him. When I found out the kind of stuff he was into, I quit. Shannon and I tried to hide, but his men found us and brought us here." He shook his head. "You're stuck here for good, just like me. There's no way off this island. Not alive anyway."

Danny started to back away from them.

"Where are you going?" Faith asked.

"We can't stay together. It'll make it too easy for them to catch us if we're all in the same place. The two of you should split up, too." He turned and started to go into the woods further. Then he paused and turned around. "Good luck."

Without another word, the younger man disappeared from view.

Faith and Bosco turned and exchanged a look. 

* * *

"I'll be right back."

Bosco jerked his head up to look at Faith as she rose to her feet. "Where are you going?"

"Bathroom." She started to walk away.

He caught her hand, and she turned to look down at him. "Don't, uh... don't go too far, okay?"

She gave his hand a squeeze. "I won't."

Bosco watched as she disappeared into the woods. He sat perfectly still, every muscle in his body tense as he listened to the silence.

//"Most of them will just kill you, but the guy who found us... he's sadistic. He made me... made me watch. I couldn't stop him... the things he did to her..."// Danny's voice echoed in his mind and he shuddered.

He kept his eyes focused on the tree line where Faith had gone, wishing she'd hurry up. He didn't like the idea of her being alone, even for a couple of minutes. Under normal circumstances, Bosco knew she could take care of herself, could protect herself against the bad guys of the world.

But these were not normal circumstances.

And he wasn't sure he'd be able to live with himself if anything bad happened to Faith. Bile rose up in his throat and he clenched his hands involuntarily at the thought.

//Come on, Faith, hurry up.//

As though she had heard his thoughts, she emerged from the tree line a moment later.

He relaxed slightly -- but only slightly when she was sitting on the ground beside him again. 

Both of them were silent for a long time.

"We should get some sleep," Faith suggested, her voice tired.

Bosco glanced at her sideways and nodded his agreement. "It's probably not a good idea to build a fire tonight," he said uneasily, watching her shiver in the cool night air. 

"Yeah. We don't want to draw any attention to ourselves," she agreed.

He shrugged out of his long sleeve shirt, even though only one of the sleeves was left. He handed it to her. "Put that on. I'll take first watch again."

She hesitated, holding the shirt in her hand. "Bosco, are you sure? Aren't you cold?"

"Nah. I'm good."

She slid her arms into the shirt, wincing slightly from her wound. She laid down on the ground, facing toward him. Her eyes drifted shut.

Bosco sat still, with his knees pulled to his chest as he listened for unusual noises. His gaze flickered down to Faith. She was still shivering. He hesitated, swallowed hard. Then reached out and touched her shoulder gently.

Faith opened her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"You're freezing," he said, worried.

She gave him a small smile. "I'll be okay."

He hesitated again. "Maybe, uh...maybe we should move closer. You know for...uh, body heat."

Her heart skipped a beat, her mind flashing back to the day before when they were standing face-to-face in the river. She swallowed hard, unable to keep herself from shivering. "Okay," she said finally.

Bosco shifted and laid down beside her, facing her. He motioned for her to move closer.

She did so until mere inches separated them. Butterflies danced in her stomach as he draped his arm around her waist, his hand coming to rest on the small of her back. The butterflies settled and she relaxed. "You gonna be able to stay awake like this?"

"Yeah. I don't really think I could sleep right now even if I wanted to. I'm too on edge," he told her, his voice quiet. He scooted closer to her, closing up the small distance between them. He slid his other arm under her neck. Then to her surprise, he kissed her forehead. "Hey, Faith?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry I got us into this mess." 

She frowned. "Bosco, it's not your fault."

"Yes, it is. I'm the one who went in to arrest Chevchinko without backup."

"Yeah, well, I'm the one who wanted to go to the factory in the first place, remember?" 

"You wanted to call for back-up."

"Listen to me," Faith said, her voice gentle, but firm. "This is not the time to be blaming ourselves, all right? What happened, happened. We're here. The only ones responsible for that are Chevchinko and his men. Not you, and not me, okay?"

He swallowed hard. "Okay."

"You have to believe we're going to make it out of this."

"What about what Danny said? About even if we make it out of the woods, how are we going to make it off this island?"

"I don't know," Faith admitted. "But we'll think of something. Let's take it one problem at a time."

He almost smiled and he kissed her forehead again, unable to stop himself. "Get some sleep," he said quietly, gently rubbing her back.

"I'll try. Night, Boz."

"Night, Faith." He found himself feeling a bit calmer. Somehow she could always reassure him that everything was going to be all right. He gazed at her in the darkness and watched as she fell asleep.

It took him a few moments to realize she had stop shivering.

A small smile touched his lips as he brushed a strand of hair out of her face, then returned his hand to rest on her back. For some reason, despite their predicament, it felt right being this close to her. It felt... peaceful.

He watched her for a few more moments, relaxing more as he listened to the sound of her steady breathing. Then his own eyes drifted shut, and he too, fell asleep.

* * *

Go to Part 6

Back to X_tremeroswellian's Third Watch Fanfic


	7. 6

Title: The Rules of the Game (6/?)

Author: X_tremeroswellian

Email: X_tremeroswellian@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: Only in my dreams do I actually own anything. All are property of Edward Allen Bernero and John Wells.

Rating: PG-13 for language, violence and sexual content

Spoilers: Up through and including "233 Days." 

Summary: Bosco and Faith find themselves in a predicament in which they can use only their instincts to survive. 

Distribution: My site Only Time, 55-HQ, and fanfiction.net. Others, just ask and I'll probably say yes. 

Category: Story

Subcategories: Action/adventure/thriller/suspense/romance/friendship/drama/angst...does that narrow it down too much? *wink wink*

Feedback: Makes me write faster. 

Author's Note: I sort of got this idea from a third season episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But just for the very general plot idea. The rest came out of my own messed up mind. :)

Dedication: For Dem and Bree

* * *

The Rules of the Game (Part Six)

He was disturbed from his peaceful, dreamless sleep by the sound of a barking dog. He grimaced, annoyed, wishing his neighbor would shut the damned mutt up so he could go back to sleep. He shifted positions slightly, groaning as pain shot up his neck.

What a great way to start the day, he thought, not opening his eyes. He idly wondered if he'd remembered to set the coffee pot the night before. He hoped so. He tried to move his left arm, and when he found himself unable to do so, he opened his eyes, blinking rapidly, then squinting. When his vision cleared, his gaze immediately landed on Faith, who was lying next to him, her head on his arm, still asleep.

Bosco's eyes widened momentarily, then he relaxed slightly as he recalled their situation. His eyes drifted shut again. 

The damn dog was still barking, only it sounded closer this time. And this time he realized there was more than one dog. 

"Oh, fuck," he uttered as his eyes flew open. "Faith, wake up!" 

She opened her eyes, squinting. "Boz?" she whispered sleepily.

"We have to get up and run right now," he told her urgently, his voice low as he pulled her into a sitting position. 

"What's going on?" she asked, confused.

Bosco rose to his feet, reached down and pulled her to hers, as well. "The hunters. They're coming." 

Faith's eyes widened.

He grabbed her hand. "Come on!"

* * *

Sully knew the moment he stepped into the precinct that morning that something had happened. The officers at the desk all wore grim expressions, and looked at him with sorrow filled eyes.

Dread knotted his stomach as he made his way back towards Swersky's office. In the hallway outside, Davis was sitting on the bench next to Steve Gusler, whose eyes were red-rimmed. 

Sully swallowed hard. "Davis?"

His partner looked up at him, stared back for a moment. "They, uh...they pulled 55-David from the Hudson River a few hours ago," Davis said, dropping his gaze to the floor again, his voice low. 

He stood there, frozen in place by shock. " No," he whispered.

"They haven't found the bodies, yet," his partner added, his voice catching on the word 'bodies.'

Sully sank down onto the bench beside him, feeling sick. "I can't believe this."

The three officers sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity, when the lieutenant's door suddenly opened. Swersky stepped out into the hallway. "We have a man in custody," he said, his voice grim.

They all looked up at him in surprise.

"We lifted a set of prints from the inside of the car. From a man we've arrested before." Swersky's gaze focused on Sully. "A man you and Yokas arrested."

Sully stared back at him uncertainly.

"In connection to Theodore Chevchinko."

"Son of a bitch," he muttered, closing his eyes.

"The FBI is getting ready to question him now. He's turned down his right to have a lawyer present."

Sully looked at Davis and Gusler, then back at his boss. "I'd like to be present for the questioning, Lieu."

Swersky nodded. "I thought you might. Let's go."

* * *

"Tell me again where officers Boscorelli and Yokas are."

"In the river," the younger man replied.

The FBI agent glared at him. "Their bodies weren't found in the car."

He shrugged. "They are dead."

"Did Theodore Chevchinko order their murders?" 

"I know of no one by that name." 

"My ass," Sully muttered, watching through the two way mirror and shaking his head. He turned away, anger growing inside of him.

Davis glanced over at him, worried. "Sul, you okay?"

He turned to his partner, a grim look on his face. "There's something I have to do." 

"What?" 

Sully's gaze flickered to Swersky, who was watching him. "Just a hunch I have. I'll be back." Without another word, he left the room, Davis, Gusler and Swersky all staring after him.

* * *

"You know, despite all the physical training we went through at the Academy, I'm a little pissed that they didn't spend any time preparing us for this," Bosco said as they paused momentarily to catch their breath.

"Yeah, well, somehow I doubt they figured that two New York City police officers would have to worry about being hunted in the middle of a forest," Faith replied, breathing heavily and looking around.

"Good point. But still. When we get back, after I kill Chevchinko, the first thing I'm doing is contacting the supervisors at the Academy and telling them to bring all the new trainees to this island for a couple days."

They both fell silent, listening for unusual noises. They didn't have to wait for long. The dogs were barking again.

Faith and Bosco looked at each other. 

"Damn it," she muttered.

"Come on."

They started to run again. His legs were sore and tired, but he didn't let himself slow down. He glanced over his shoulder once in awhile to make sure she hadn't fallen behind.

He wasn't sure how long or how far they'd gone when he heard a low but constant rumbling somewhere up ahead of them. 

"Bosco, what's that noise?" she asked as they ran.

"I don't know," he admitted.

The dogs were getting closer. He could hear the barking a lot more distinctly than before.

With every step forward, the rumbling grew louder, but he didn't see anything that could be causing it. He looked over his shoulder to see if the dogs were close enough to be seen now. 

"Bosco, look out!" Faith suddenly grabbed his arm and yanked him back none too gently.

He turned to see what she'd pulled him away from and found himself staring down a steep cliff. The river they'd been following abruptly dropped off into a huge waterfall that emptied into a large body of water several hundred feet below them.

Bosco took a step away from the edge, turning to look at his partner, then behind them where he could see the dogs running toward them in the distance.

They were trapped.

"Oh, fuck."

* * *

Sully unlocked the door to his apartment and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. His wife was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper. 

She looked up at him, surprised that he was back already. "John, what is wrong?"

He dropped his keys onto the kitchen counter and focused his gaze on her. "The FBI arrested a man who claims he killed my friends that are missing."

Tatiana lifted a hand to her mouth, horrified. "Oh, John, I am so sorry." 

"The man works for a friend of yours," Sully informed her, his eyes narrowed.

She looked at him in confusion. "What?"

"Enough of the lies, Tatiana. Or Natasha. Or whatever your real name is," he snapped, glaring at her. "I want to know everything you know about Theodore Chevchinko. And I want to know right now."

* * *

Bosco's heart pounded heavily against his chest. He looked at the dogs that were now only a few yards away, then down at the waterfall, and then at Faith.

Her eyes wide, face place, she stared back at him. "You're not really thinking what I think you're thinking, right?"

A shot rang out through the air, slamming into a tree only a foot away from him. "Do we really have a choice?" 

She looked from him, back toward the dogs, who would be on them in a matter of seconds, then down at the lake below.

Another shot. This time he felt the ricochet of the splintering wood as it stung his arm. 

Bosco looked at her intently. "Faith?" he said urgently, every muscle in his body tense.

Wordlessly, she reached out for his hand, a frightened look in her eyes. He slid his hand into hers without hesitation, interlacing their fingers as he swallowed hard. "On the count of three." 

Faith nodded, squeezing his hand tightly. "One." 

"Two," he said, squeezing her hand back.

Bosco and Faith looked at each other, and then in unison said, "Three!"

They jumped.

* * *

Go to Part 7

Back to X_tremeroswellian's Third Watch Fanfic


	8. 7

Title: The Rules of the Game (7/?)

Author: X_tremeroswellian

Email: X_tremeroswellian@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: Only in my dreams do I actually own anything. All are property of Edward Allen Bernero and John Wells.

Rating: PG-13 for language, violence and sexual content

Spoilers: Up through and including "233 Days." 

Summary: Bosco and Faith find themselves in a predicament in which they can use only their instincts to survive. 

Distribution: My site Only Time, 55-HQ, and fanfiction.net. Others, just ask and I'll probably say yes. 

Category: Story

Subcategories: Action/adventure/thriller/suspense/romance/friendship/drama/angst...does that narrow it down too much? *wink wink*

Feedback: Makes me write faster. 

Author's Note: I sort of got this idea from a third season episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But just for the very general plot idea. The rest came out of my own messed up mind. :)

Dedication: For Dem and Bree

* * *

The Rules of the Game (Part Seven)

Faith had always hated that dream -- the one where she was falling -- though it wasn't really dream exactly, but a sensation experienced somewhere between being awake and slipping into unconsciousness But the sensation had always been so real, every time she'd experienced it, it managed to invoke in her an innate feeling of sheer terror.

But nothing quite like the fear that overwhelmed her as she felt her feet leave solid ground, her hand grasping Bosco's tightly as they leapt off that cliff, plunging toward the water blow.

In that instance, she saw her life flash before her -- Em, Charlie, Fred, her parents, Stanley, Bosco. All her regrets and her hopes for the future bubbled up within her, but she did not scream. And immediately following the panic was a feeling of calmness, of peace.

Though she didn't know where it came from, the calmness allowed her to remember to hold her breath just a couple seconds before she hit the water, her hand slipping away from her partner's as they both sank under the cold surface.

* * *

Sully held on to Tatiana's arm with one hand and knocked on Swersky's office door with the other. 

"Come in," Swersky called.

He turned the door handle and pushed the door open. Swersky and Christopher both looked at him as he pulled his wife in behind him, closed the door and pointed to a chair for her to sit in. She sat down in it without a word, her eyes red-rimmed and downcast. 

Swersky looked from Tatiana to Sully, a confused expression on his face. "Sully?"

"Tell them everything you told me," Sully told her, his voice cold.

She flinched at his tone, tears forming in her eyes. She raised a hand to her face to brush away the tears, but remained silent.

There was a knock on the door. They all looked toward it, then Sully pulled open to find Davis standing there, a worried expression on his face. "I saw you come in, and I thought..."

Sully stepped aside wordlessly and let him in, shutting the door again. He folded his arms across his chest.

Davis's eyebrows furrowed as he looked at Tatiana, then at his partner.

"Officer Sullivan, what the hell is going on?" Christopher asked, beginning to lose his patience.

Sully moved closer to the chair his wife was sitting in. "Faith and Bosco may not be dead. Yet." He focused his gaze on Tatiana. "Tell them about Chevchinko and his sick little game."

All eyes in the room turned to stare at her.

She swallowed hard, unable to look up. "He is a powerful man. And he has this thing he likes to do. He calls it The Game." Her voice was soft, just barely audible. "He finds islands and then he takes people there. People who owe him or get in his way. And then men with money paying him to allow them on these islands, so they can hunt."

"Hunt?" Christopher repeated, his eyes wide with shock.

"Jesus," Swersky muttered, his face pale. "How long has this been going on?"

"Years," she whispered, a tear running down her cheek.

"We'll keep you in protective custody until we find Chevchinko. We're going to need you to testify." Swersky gazed at her.

She didn't answer.

"We'll put you into the witness protection program after that. So he can't find you."

"It doesn't matter," Tatiana said, shaking her head, looking down at the floor. "He always finds me." Without another word, she leaned over in her chair, put her head on her knees and began to cry.

* * *

The current from the waterfall pulled her deep beneath the surface of the water. All she could feel was the pain and the cold, the only thought in her mind was 'air.'

She was dizzy, disoriented as she kicked her legs, trying to force herself upward, whichever direction that was. Her lungs burned like fire and common sense told her she wouldn't be able to hold her breath much longer.

The water was murky, too murky to see very well, to see which direction was up. It only confused her more. So she closed her eyes and forced herself to keep her panic at bay as she stopped kicking, willing herself to keep holding her breath as she began to float naturally toward the water's surface.

After a few seconds, she kicked again and this time it propelled her upwards, to the surface. She gasped as she sucked in a lungful of air, her ribs aching. She looked around wildly, suddenly remembering that she was not alone, that Bosco was there somewhere, as well. She choked on a mouthful of water as the waves splashed into her face. "Bosco!" she shouted, coughing as she did her best to tread water.

The noise, the rushing-rumbling sound from the waterfall made it impossible to hear anything else. She looked around in the water, on the bannks, but didn't seem him anywhere. "Bosco!" Faith called again, knowing it was a futile effort. 

Where is he? she thought frantically. She drew in a deep breath and ducked under the water again, forcing her eyes open. She forced herself further down under the surface, peering into the depths of the lake, her heart racing with fear. Where is he?

She began to swim, diving a little deeper after getting another mouthful of air. And that's when she caught a glimpse of him, sinking slowly toward the bottom of the lake, his body completely limp, his eyes shut.

Faith swam toward him, wrapping her arms underneath his from behind him and using her legs to kick them both upward to the surface again.

It only took them a few seconds to reach it and she gasped for air, kicking in the water, refusing to let go of his body despite the dead weight that threatened to pull them both under. She dragged him through the water in seconds that felt like an eternity, and managed somehow to pull them both onto dry land. 

She didn't give herself a second to recover before she pressed her ear against his chest, listening, tuning out the sound of the rushing water. 

Bosco wasn't breathing.

She didn't even think, her training as a police officer kicking in as she immediately began CPR--pinching his nose closed, breathing into his mouth, pausing, then doing it again. He didn't move.

Tears sprang to her eyes. "Don't do this to me," she begged. She started the CPR process again. "Come on, Boz, please! Don't die on me!"

* * *

"The FBI is organizing teams of men on helicopters to search the islands all along the East Coast," Davis informed Sully as they stood outside Swersky's office.

Sully didn't respond.

"How's she doing?" Davis asked, nodding toward the office where Tatiana was still sitting in the chair alone in the room, crying.

"She'll be fine." 

He was startled by the harshness of his partner's tone. "Sully."

"What? Am I supposed to feel sorry for her? Bosco and Yokas could be dead because she didn't come forward with this information sooner. Not to mention who knows how many other people!"

Davis looked into the office at Tatiana's shaking form. "Talk to her, Sully. Something is not right here. There's more to this story than what we're seeing," he urged quietly.

Sully sighed heavily, closing his eyes. "Davis --"

"If you don't, you'll end up regretting it." He looked at Sully. "Despite the fact that you're pissed at her, she's still your wife. And you might not want to admit it, but you love her. I know you do. Just... give her the chance to explain."

Sully watched his partner walk away, then turned and stared at the woman he'd married, watched as she cried silently, uncontrollably, faced away from him. 

He swallowed hard, took a deep breath and walked into the office, shutting the door behind him quietly.

* * *

Please God, don't let him die, Faith prayed as she kept breathing into her best friend's mouth, refusing to give up. It was the only thought running through her mind as she repeated CPR over and over, unwilling to stop.

And her prayers were answered.

Bosco began to cough, water spilling out of his mouth, out of his lungs as he turned his head to the side, finally sucking in a lungful of oxygen on his own. His body shook as he coughed, sputtering, his eyes finally opening.

Relief took hold of her. The crisis averted, she collapsed onto the ground beside him, wrapping her arms around her stomach as she began to cry. Softly at first, then harder. 

"Faith." His voice was raspy as he struggled to sit up, feeling dazed as he watched her with blurry eyes as she sobbed. He wasn't sure exactly what had happened, why she was so distraught. Feeling weak and dizzy, he reached out and touched her shoulder, then the back of her head. When she didn't move, real fear took over. Had she been hurt? His gaze went from her to the waterfall, swallowing hard as he realized just how high up they'd been when they jumped. 

How the hell did we survive? he wondered. His eyes drops back to Faith again. This time he laid both of his hands on her arm, gently turned her over so he could see her face. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Something between a laugh and a sob escaped her lips and she sat up suddenly, her eyes red from crying. She wordlessly wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Faith?" he asked in confusion.

"I thought you were dead!"

Bosco suddenly remembered the sharp pain in his head when he hit the rock, how everything had gone dark for an instant, and then how he had awakened on the shore. Realization hit him: she had pulled him from the water. Had saved his life. Again.

She pulled away from him without warning. "Don't ever do that to me again!" she said furiously, her voice thick with tears.

He swallowed hard. "Sorry," he said softly, reaching up to brush away the tears from her cheeks.

Wordlessly, Faith leaned toward him, pressing her lips to his gently. Closing his eyes, he could case the saltiness from her tears on her lips as he kissed her back. He started to pull her closer without a second thought.

A gunshot in the distance immediately caused them to jump and break apart. 

"Dammit," Bosco cursed. "Don't these fucking people *ever* give up?"

* * *

Go to Part 8

Back to X_tremeroswellian's Third Watch Fanfic


	9. 8

Title: The Rules of the Game (8/?)

Author: X_tremeroswellian

Email: X_tremeroswellian@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: Only in my dreams do I actually own anything. All are property of Edward Allen Bernero and John Wells.

Rating: PG-13 for language, violence and sexual content

Spoilers: Up through and including "233 Days." 

Summary: Bosco and Faith find themselves in a predicament in which they can use only their instincts to survive. 

Distribution: My site Only Time, 55-HQ, and fanfiction.net. Others, just ask and I'll probably say yes. 

Category: Story

Subcategories: Action/adventure/thriller/suspense/romance/friendship/drama/angst...does that narrow it down too much? *wink wink*

Feedback: Makes me write faster. 

Author's Note: I sort of got this idea from a third season episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But just for the very general plot idea. The rest came out of my own messed up mind. :)

Author's Note II: Sorry it took so long to get this part out. I had to have two wisdom teeth pulled and wasn't really in the mood to work on fic for awhile.

Dedication: For Dem and Bree

* * *

The Rules of the Game (Part Eight)

Sully leaned against Swersky's desk as he watched his wife cry. With every moment that passed, listening to her quiet sobs, he felt a little guiltier for how harsh he'd been with her. Davis's words rang in his mind. //"Something's not right here. There's more to the story than what we're seeing."//

"Tatiana," he said, his voice soft. "What did you mean before? When you said that Chevchinko always finds you?" 

"It doesn't matter," she whispered, wiping the tears off her cheeks. 

"It does to me." 

"You cannot help me." 

"Not if you won't at least let me try," Sully agreed, gazing at her. 

She stared down at the floor. 

He knelt down in front of her. "Please talk to me." He reached up and brushed a tear off her chin. 

After a long moment, she finally spoke. "In Russia, my father and Chevchinko were business associates. He borrow a lot of money from him but couldn't afford to pay him back. So my father make a deal with him." Tatiana looked away.

"What kind of deal?" Sully asked gently.

"For Chevchinko to marry his daughter Natasha." 

"But that's--" 

"Me. My real name." She looked down at her hands. 

Sully stared at her. "So you and Chevchinko were--" 

"No. I do not marry him. I was in love with another man. His name was Michal. We run away together, but Chevchinko found us. He killed Michal." Her eyes filled with more tears. "I was pregnant with Sergay, and I knew if he found out, he'd kill us both. So I ran." She took a deep breath. "I stow away on boat to America. And when I get here, I hide in Los Angeles for two years before he find me again. Sergay and I move so many times, try to hide from him, but he knows so many people. He always finds us.

"So I change my name and come here to Big Apple. And I meet you." The tears spilled down her cheeks. "And you seem like good man. You remind me of Michal. So I thought maybe this time, Chevchinko won't find us. Maybe I won't have to run anymore. Maybe you love me and we can be happy." Her voice wavered.

"I do love you," Sully whispered, feeling sick and angry with himself for being so harsh with her before, followed by a rush of fresh hatred for Chevchinko. 

She gave him a shaky smile. "You are good man." She touched his cheek briefly, then pulled her hand away. "It doesn't matter now. It's over. It's only a matter of time before--" 

"Don't," he said, pulling her into his arms. "I won't let him hurt you, Tatiana. You or Sergay." 

"He is dangerous man, John. I don't want you to get hurt." 

Sully held her a little tighter. "We'll figure something out." He pressed his lips to the top of her head. She buried her face in his shoulder. He closed his eyes as he felt her tremble against him. 

"I'm sorry I do not tell you truth sooner," she whispered. "I'm sorry your friends are missing. This is all my fault." 

"Shh. It's not your fault, it's Chevchinko's." He let out a breath. "And we're gonna find Faith and Bosco and bring them back." 

"How you know that?" she asked, looking up at him with worried eyes.

Sully gave her a small smile. "Because if anyone can survive on an island of hunters, it's them." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You'll see." 

* * *

"I think we lost the dogs," Faith said, trying to catch her breath as they stopped running for a moment. 

He nodded, leaning over, his hands on his knees as he breathed heavily. 

She started to say something else, but he held up his hand, a deep frown on his face. "What?" 

"Do you hear that?" 

She didn't answer, just focused herself on listening. 

"It's a horse." Bosco stood up straight, his eyes wide as he recalled what Danny had said. //"We were caught by a man on horseback. Most of them will just kill you, but the guy who found us...he's sadistic..."//

Faith met his gaze, her own eyes wide. "It's coming this way." 

He could hear the fear in her voice and he hated it. He grabbed her hand as they took off running again. 

The hoofbeats were coming closer. 

Think, he commanded himself. He spotted a large row of bushes up ahead and quickly made a run for them. He dropped to the ground, pulling Faith down with him, then rolling them so he was lying on top of her, shielding her body further from sight. "Don't move," he whispered in her ear.

Bosco could hear the horse just a few feet away from where they were hiding. He swallowed hard, squeezed his eyes shut as he heard the whinny on the other side of the bushes. 

Go away, he thought, every muscle in his body tense, prepared to fight if he had to. Go away. 

He felt Faith's heart racing against his chest, echoing his own fear with every rapid beat. 

A few seconds later, Bosco heard the horse galloping away, further into the forest. 

They remained silent and motionless for several moments, afraid that the man would turn and see them if they moved too soon. Then he lifted his head to look down at her. 

Faith stared up at him, breathing heavily, her brown eyes full of mixed emotions. 

"You okay?" he asked. 

She nodded wordlessly.

Bosco suddenly realized the compromising position they were lying in and he swallowed hard. The urge to kiss her again was nearly overwhelming. He reluctantly slid off her, barely able to resist the temptation. He sat up slowly, rubbing the back of his head. "That was close." 

"Too close," she murmured, as she, too, sat up. 

He reached out and carefully pulled a leaf out of her hair. 

She looked at him.

Unable to resist, he dropped his hand to her cheek, caressing it lightly with his thumb. 

Her eyes closed. "Bosco..." 

"Faith, I--" 

The sound of barking dogs interupted them once again. 

Bosco set his jaw, his eyes narrowing. "I thought dogs were supposed to be man's best friend!" 

* * *

"Sullivan."

Sully looked up as Swersky stepped into his office. "Boss?" 

"We have a lead on Chevchinko's whereabouts. I'm sending you and Davis to try and pick him up." 

He nodded, then looked at Tatiana. "I want you to stay here, okay?" he said softly. "You'll be safe here." 

Her eyes were full of fear. "John, be carefuly, please. He is dangerous." 

"I promise I'll be careful," Sully replied. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, then pulled away. "Everything's going to be okay." He turned and followed Swersky out the door, glancing over his shoulder at his wife. 

"We'll take good care of her, Sully," Swersky said, his voice low.

Sully nodded. "Where's Davis?" 

"Right here." 

He turned and saw his partner walking toward him, a tense look on his face. 

"There's a rumor that Chevchinko's been using an abandoned paper factory on Cantrell and Minister as a meeting place for some of his deals," Swersky informed them.

"We'll check it out," Davis said.

The two of them started to walk away. 

"Sullivan, Davis." 

They turned to face Lt. Swersky again. 

"Be careful. We've already got two missing officers. I don't want to lose anyone else. You hear me?" 

Sully and Davis exchanged a look. "We'll be careful," Sully promised. 

* * *

"What do you suppose is going on?" Alex wondered aloud as she and Kim watched several police officers assembling outside the 55th precinct. 

"Maybe they found them," Kim suggested, her eyes locked on the scene before her. 

"There's Ty and Sully." Without another word, Alex crossed the street and made it to 55-Charlie before either officer climbed into the squad. "Ty! Did you guys locate Bosco and Yokas?" 

Davis looked over the top of the squad at his partner, then at her. "Not exactly. But we have a lead on Chevchinko." 

She gazed up at him, feeling a knot form in her stomach. "He's involved in this?" 

"Looks that way, yeah." He looked at her for a long moment. "I'll be okay, Al," he said, dropping his voice.

Alex bit her lip and forced herself to smile. "I know." 

"I'll call you as soon as we get back, all right?" 

She nodded, hesitated for a moment, then stood up on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. His arms instantly wound around her waist as he kissed her back deeply.

After a long moment, they pulled away and stared at each other. 

"I just...wanted to give you another reason to come back," she said quietly, gazing at him.

"It was very motivational," Ty replied, a smile on his lips. 

She smiled back, but her eyes remained serious. "Be careful." 

"Always," he told her. 

She reluctantly turned and headed back across the street. 

Sully looked at Davis with raised eyebrows. "Thought you two were finished." 

Davis looked back at him. "Me too. But I think we've decided to take a second chance. Everyone deserves a second chance," he said meaningfully.

Sully didn't respond, just climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine.

* * *

He kept running, not pausing to catch his breath, not even sure which direction they were headed. He just knew that if they stopped, they'd get caught. And Bosco was NOT about to be killed by some damned hunter or a pack of dogs.

No way.

It was several long minutes later when his head began throbbing and he began to feel a little dizzy that he finally paused, reaching out and resting his hand on the nearest tree, trying to catch his breath. "I need to rest for just a second."

Faith didn't respond. 

"Hey, you okay?" he asked, turning to look at her. 

She wasn't there. 

"Faith?" Bosco looked around, but didn't see any sign of her. The forest was completely still. "Faith!" he said, raising his voice. His heart began to beat a little faster. 

The only thing that answered him was silence. 

"Oh, fuck," Bosco whispered in horror.

* * *

Sully focused his eyes on the road in front of him. "You were right." 

Davis glanced at him sideways. "I usually am." He grinned. "What about this time?" 

"About Tatiana. There was more to the story than what she told everyone else." 

There was a moment of silence. 

"So what'd she say?"

Sully hesitated. "Enough for me to realize that she's just as much a victim of Chevchinko's as Bosco and Yokas." 

There was another moment of silence. 

"If Chevchinko finds out that she talked to the police, he'll have her killed."

"So what are you going to do?" Davis asked quietly.

Sully gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. "I can't lose her, Davis," he answered, his voice low. "I won't."

* * *

Bosco walked back the way he'd come from. Or at least the way he *thought* he'd come from. It was hard to tell. It's not like there were any landmarks to guide his path. "Faith!" he whispered loudly.

Still no answer. 

Thoughts flooded his mind. Had she been hurt? Was she lying on the ground somewhere in pain? Unconscious maybe? Had she been caught in one of the damned bear traps the hunters had set? He shuddered at the thought. Maybe one of the hunters had grabbed her. His throat tightened and for a moment he couldn't even breathe. 

He felt himself careening dangerously close to a panic attack. He hadn't had one in almost a month. But the thought of losing Faith, of what his life would be like without her--

Bosco leaned against a tree trunk and forced himself to take several slow, deep breaths in an attempt to calm down.

She's okay. She has to be. 

He needed her. 

He closed his eyes and took another deep breath, telling himself over and over again that she was all right. That they had just gotten separated, that was all. He'd find her, they'd have a good laugh about it, then they'd find a way off the damned island and somehow get home again.

He opened his eyes and pushed himself away from the tree. He forced himself to remain calm as he continued to look for her. 

Come on, Faith, he thought. Where are you?

* * *

Bosco wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. "Faith!" he whispered loudly.

He heard the crunch of leaves behind him and quickly turned around, expecting to see her there. Instead, he saw Danny. Oh, great, he thought. Just what I needed. A lunatic to slow me down. The other man was looking at him strangely, his face pale. "What?" 

"Your friend...the woman you were with..." 

"Faith?" 

Danny nodded slowly. "I saw her."

His heart leapt into his throat and he took a step toward him. "Where is she?" 

"She..." 

"What? She what? Where did you see her?" Bosco demanded.

"She was shot." 

For a moment, he couldn't breathe. "You're wrong." 

Danny shook his head. "I saw it happen. She was shot. There was blood everywhere..." 

Bosco grabbed him by his shirt collar and shoved him against a tree. "You're wrong! It was someone else!"

"I'm sorry." 

He shook his head furiously. "It wasn't her! It wasn't her." 

"It was. I saw her. She's dead, just like Shannon!" Danny said, crying. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." 

Bosco let go of him, feeling numb. 

"I'm sorry," the younger man said again. Without another word, he took off and disapeared into the forest. 

He sank down until he was sitting on the ground.

//"She's dead, just like Shannon. She's dead, just like Shannon...she's dead...she's dead...she's dead..."// The words echoed in his mind and their meaning hit him like a freight train.

And Bosco began to cry.


	10. 9

Title: The Rules of the Game (9/?)

Author: X_tremeroswellian

Email: X_tremeroswellian@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: Only in my dreams do I actually own anything. All are property of Edward Allen Bernero and John Wells.

Rating: PG-13 for language, violence and sexual content

Spoilers: Up through and including "233 Days." 

Summary: Bosco and Faith find themselves in a predicament in which they can use only their instincts to survive. 

Distribution: My site Only Time, 55-HQ, and fanfiction.net. Others, just ask and I'll probably say yes. 

Category: Story

Subcategories: Action/adventure/thriller/suspense/romance/friendship/drama/angst...does that narrow it down too much? *wink wink*

Feedback: Makes me write faster. 

Author's Note: I sort of got this idea from a third season episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But just for the very general plot idea. The rest came out of my own messed up mind. :)

Author's Note II: Sorry it took so long to get this part out. I had to have two wisdom teeth pulled and wasn't really in the mood to work on fic for awhile.

Dedication: For Dem and Bree

* * *

The Rules of the Game (Part Nine)

"You ready?" Sully asked Davis silently as they stood outside the door to the basement of the abandoned paper factory with their guns drawn.

Davis nodded, tightening his grip on his weapon.

Sully went through the door first, spotting Chevchinko almost instantly. "Police! Put your hands in the air!" he shouted.

Chevchinko turned around with a sigh, putting his hands in the air. "Officer Sullivan. What a nice surprise."

He glared at the man. "You won't think so when I get through with you, you son of a bitch."

Chevchinko raised an eyebrow. "I thought we had a deal. You stay away from my family, I stay away from yours."

"Yeah, well, you broke that little agreement when you took two of my friends to be victims of your sick little game," Sully said angrily, pointing his gun at the man. "Where are they, Chevchinko?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Chevchinko replied innocently.

Sully cocked his gun. "Really? Does this help you remember?"

"Sully," Davis warned, his voice quiet.

"What?"

"If you kill him now, we may never find them."

Sully stared at Chevchinko for a long moment. "He's not going to tell us anything anyway. Are you?"

Chevchinko shrugged. "How can I tell you what I do not know?"

"I know your game, Chevchinko. I know all about it. And I know that you're behind what happened to Bosco and Yokas."

"Officer Yokas?" Chevchinko repeated, a slight smile on his face. "Why would I do anything to her? She's a lovely woman. A bit rude, but lovely."

Sully clenched his jaw, moved a step closer to the man. "You better hope that we find them and they are both all right. Because if they're not, you're going to be very sorry."

"I hope you do find them." Chevchinko paused, his smile widening a bit. "How is your lovely wife Tatiana? Or should I say... Natasha?"

Sully's eyes darkened. "Wrong thing to say, old man."

* * *

Bosco stared down at his reflection in the river. He had been standing there for a long time. He wasn't even sure how long. But then again, it didn't matter.

Nothing mattered, not anymore.

Faith was dead.

//"I saw it happen. She was shot. There was blood everywhere..."//

His tears shattered his reflection in the water, blurring it.

His mind flashed through memories like he was turning the pages of a photo album.

//"Wow, look at you."  
"Do I look like a waiter?"  
"You look like James Bond."//

//"Do you really think it's hereditary? The violence? You think when I'm married I'm gonna beat my wife?"  
"I don't think it has to be that way. Not if you don't want it to be."

//"I have cancer."  
"What?"  
"It was in my breast, but... I've been getting radiation treatments, you know to make sure that it doesn't come back. I should've told you sooner. But I thought I could work and handle it and... then today I got nauseus from one of the pain pills and uh...I didn't back you up. And that bullet could've missed your vest..."  
"Just stop. All the things we've learned that we can't control in this world and you're gonna surprise me with this."  
"I just didn't want to be dumping my stuff on anybody."  
"It's me, Faith. It's me. I'm not *anybody*."//

//"Don't do that again."  
"I'll tell you everything."  
"No, don't get sick again."//

//"I was worried about you."  
"You should have come to me."  
"I tried."  
"When?"//

//"Bosco, you were probably in shock."  
"Faith, I ran. God help me, I ran."  
"Bosco."  
"I ran."  
"It's okay. It's okay, it's okay. It's all right."//

//"Hey, Faith."  
"Yeah?"   
"I'm glad you're here."   
"What?"  
"With me. I mean, instead of someone else."   
"Yeah, well, you're stuck with me, so that's good."  
"I mean it, Faith."  
"I'd rather be stuck with you than anyone else, too, Boz."//

"I am so sorry, Faith," he whispered, squeezing his eyes shut tightly. "This is all my fault. It should've been me." 

"Bosco?"

He froze, the breath catching in his throat. He opened his eyes and turned around slowly. "Faith," he whispered, staring at her.

"Thank God I found you. I've been looking everywhere. I was worried sick."

Bosco couldn't move, couldn't take his eyes off of her. He wasn't sure if she was really standing there just a few feet from him or if he was dreaming. 

She frowned and moved closer to him. "Bosco, are you all right? You look like you've seen a ghost." When he didn't respond, she grew more worried. "Are you okay?"

"He said you were dead," he whispered.

"Who did?"

"Danny... was here... he said he saw you get shot, that you were..." He swallowed hard, unable to finish his words.

Her eyes widened slightly. "He must have seen someone else."

He didn't answer, just continued to stare at her, burning the image of her face further into his mind.

"Bosco, I'm okay. I'm fine. He made a mistake."

"I thought..."

Faith reached up and gently touched his face. "I'm right here, Boz. I'm okay," she told him, her voice soft.

Wordlessly he grabbed her, pulled her to him and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her deeply. He felt her arms wrap around his waist as she returned the kiss. His fingers tangled in her hair.

It wasn't enough. He needed to get closer, to feel her, to make himself believe that she was really there with them, that she was alive and safe. He dropped his hands to her shoulders, gripping onto the collar of the one-sleeved, long-sleeved blue jean shirt tightly. He stopped kissing her just long enough to push the shirt off her shoulders, remembering just in time to be careful of the wound on her arm.

He tugged gently and let the scrap of clothing fall to the ground as he started kissing her again. He wrapped his arms around her waist, dropping down to his knees and pulling her down with him without breaking their kiss. 

Threading his fingers through her hair again, he tilted her head back slightly as his lips left hers, trailing kisses down to her neck, to her shoulders, unable to get enough of her.

"Bosco..." she whimpered, her hands curling around his shoulders.

He lifted his face to hers again, kissing her lips once more as he propelled them backwards, pulling her down so she was sprawled out on top of him as they kissed.

"I thought I lost you," he whispered between kisses.

"Nice try, but you're not that lucky," she murmured.

"Thank God," Bosco said back, sliding his hands underneath her shirt, feeling the bare skin of her back and pulling her closer to him, close enough so that he could feel her heart beating against his chest. His thumbs gently traced the outline of her ribs and she shivered against him, lowering her lips to his neck.

Bosco pressed a kiss against her forehead, refusing to close his eyes as he watched her. God, she was beautiful. Not drop dead supermodel gorgeous, but beautiful in a natural, real way that he had always found very appealing. He raised his hands to cup her face, brought her mouth down to meet his again.

Never in a million years would he have thought that kissing Faith Yokas would--could--make him feel this way. It was like jumping off that waterfall all over again, except this time he wasn't falling. He was flying. 

A shot rang out through the air.

Faith jerked away from him, startled as she sat up abruptly, looking around. "That sounded really close." She looked down at him with wide eyes.

He nodded his agreement, trying to force his brain to work. "We should probably run."

She stood up, reached her hand down and pulled him to his feet.

Bosco interlaced his fingers with hers and squeezed her hand. "This way we don't get separated again," he said meeting her eyes. Faith nodded and he leaned forward, kissing her once more -- a brief, but passionate kiss -- before they began to run.

* * *

"You're under arrest," Davis said, his voice low and calm as he looked at Chevchinko.

"Under arrest? I have done nothing wrong."

"Kidnapping and murder are federal offenses in this country. And in case you didn't know, stalking is illegal, too," Sully said darkly, his eyes full of hatred. 

"Save it for the judge," Davis replied, keeping his voice cool.

"It won't get that far, Officer," Chevchinko replied.

He heard the footsteps behind him and quickly turned, aiming his gun at the man who had a gun held on him. "Drop it!"

The man slowly lowered his weapon.

"That's it. Nice and easy. Put it on the ground," he commanded. Out of his peripherel vision, he saw Chevchinko move. "Sully! Look out!"

Sully spun around in time to see Chevchinko pulling a gun out of his jacket. Without hesitation, he took aim and fired.

Chevchinko stumbled backwards, the gun clattering to the ground. A look of shock passed over the man's face before he fell down, a large red stain spreading over his chest.

Davis quickly pulled out his handcuffs and cuffed the other man to a large machine in the corner of the room. He moved over to his partner, who was towering above Chevchinko, who was breathing shallowly. "Sully. You okay?"

He nodded slowly, not lifting his gaze from the man he shot.

"Should I call for a bus?"

"Not yet." Sully glared down at him coldly. "That was for my wife." He spat on him. "And that's for Faith and Bosco."

Davis remained silent, not completely sure what he should do. 

Sully reach for his radio. "This is 55-Charlie to Central. We need a bus to the abandoned paper factory on Cantrell and Minister." 

"10-4, 55-Charlie. Bus is on the way." 

Chevchinko choked on his own blood, turning his head to the side.

"Rot in hell, you no good son of a bitch," Sully whispered.

The older man looked up at him one last time before his head fell back limply.

Davis knelt down and pressed his fingers to the man's throat. He looked up at Sully. "He's dead."

"Good." Without another word, Sully turned and walked out of the room to go and wait for the ambulance to arrive.

* * *

"I can't go any farther." 

Bosco stopped and turned around, taking the moment to catch his breath. "You don't have a choice, Faith. Come on," he urged. He could hear the dogs barking off in the distance. 

She shook her head and leaned against the trunk of a large oak tree. "I can't. Just go on." She waved her hand at him. 

"Yeah, right," he replied sarcastically.

Faith looked at him, beads of sweat glistening on her forehead. "Bosco, just go."

"I am not leaving you here," he said firmly. He walked over to her, wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her forward. "Come on. We have to keep moving." 

For several long moments, all Bosco could hear was the crunching of leaves and twigs as the two of them moved through the dense forest. Then there was another sound, soft at first. 

She stopped, grabbed his arm. "Do you hear that?" 

He could see the fear in her eyes and it made him nervous. It wasn't a sight he was used to seeing. "Yeah. It sounds like--" 

"A horse," she finished.

"Come on. We gotta get out of here," Bosco said urgently.

"Yeah, but which way is it coming from?" 

He paused momentarily. She had a point. In the woods it was easy to get disoriented and it was hard to decipher what direction one particular noise was coming from. He turned in a full circle, then nodded uncertainly to their right. "Let's go that way." 

Faith nodded and started to follow him. They walked quickly for a short distance. 

The noise was getting closer. He could hear the sound of hoofbeats galloping through the foliage. He glanced at her sideways. "Run!" 

She didn't have to be told twice. 

Bosco hoped to God there weren't anymore traps hidden under the dead leaves, but at the moment, he was more worried by the thought of the horseback rider catching up to them. 

He heard Faith cry out from behind him, and he immediately turned. He saw that she was lying on the ground, clutching her ankle. Shit, he thought as he rushed to her side. "You okay?" 

She looked up at him, her face contorted with pain. He could tell she was trying not to cry. "I think it's sprained." 

He closed his eyes momentarily, then opened them again, looking around. His gaze settled back on her. "Can you walk?" 

Faith swallowed hard. "I don't know." 

He held his hand out and pulled her to her feet. He saw the look of pain flash over her face, though she tried her best to suppress it. 

"I don't think so, Boz," she said, shaking her head as she leaned back against the nearest tree, keeping her weight on her other foot. 

He hesitated only a moment. "Put your arms around my neck." 

"What?" Faith asked, frowning in confusion.

"I'm gonna carry you. Put your arms around my neck." 

She shook her head in refusal. "Forget it. You're just gonna have to go on without me." 

"Like hell," Bosco replied, taking a step toward her. 

"Bosco, I'll just slow you down. This way at least one of us has a chance of making it out of here." 

"I'm not leaving you here, Faith, so forget it!" 

"There's no reason for both of us to get caught," she argued.

"If you get caught, so do I. Deal with it," Bosco told her, knowing without a doubt that if the situation was reversed, she wouldn't leave his side. 

Before she had a chance to respond, the whinny of a horse pierced the air. He turned to see a big man on the animal's back, just yards away from them. 

"Oh, fuck," he said under his breath. There was no time to run and no place to hide. This is it, he thought. They'd survived for four days and now they were going to be caught.

"Bosco," she whispered fearfully, her hand clutching his arm tightly. 

He turned to look at her, emotions crashing over him. There was so much he wanted to say to her. "I'm really sorry," he whispered.

"Me, too," she whispered back. 

Bosco reached out and gently touched her face, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. A wave of fear surged through him and he turned to see the man on the horse galloping toward them. He didn't even care at this point what happened to him. But he was terrified of what would happen to Faith. He stepped in front of her protectively, glaring at the man as he stopped the horse only a couple feet away from them. 

The man grinned, looking down the barrel of his shotgun at them. "Well, well, well. Lookie what I found." 

* * *


	11. 10

Title: The Rules of the Game (10/?)

Author: X_tremeroswellian

Email: X_tremeroswellian@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: Only in my dreams do I actually own anything. All are property of Edward Allen Bernero and John Wells.

Rating: PG-13 for language, violence and sexual content 

Spoilers: Up through and including "233 Days." 

Summary: Bosco and Faith find themselves in a predicament in which they can use only their instincts to survive. 

Distribution: My site Only Time, 55-HQ, and fanfiction.net. Others, just ask and I'll probably say yes. 

Category: Story

Subcategories: Action/adventure/thriller/suspense/romance/friendship/drama/angst...does that narrow it down too much? *wink wink*

Feedback: Makes me write faster. 

Author's Note: I sort of got this idea from a third season episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But just for the very general plot idea. The rest came out of my own messed up mind. :)

Author's Note II: This part is rated R for the last scene because it's...well...um...yeah. I don't want to spoil anything, but just be warned that the last scene is edgy. 

Dedication: For Dem and Bree

* * *

The Rules of the Game (Part Ten)

"Davis." 

He looked up to see Lt. Swersky headed over toward him. "Sir." 

"Where's Sullivan?" 

He nodded toward the other side of the room where Sully was talking to Sgt. Christopher. Several FBI agents and detectives from the 55th were already gathered and involved in different stages of the investigative process. 

Swerksy glanced around, then focused his gaze on Davis. "What happened here?" 

He took a deep breath. "Sully and I came in. Chevchinko appeared to be the only one here. Sully asked him where Bosco and Yokas were, but he denied knowing anything about it, so we told him he was under arrest. That's when I heard footsteps behind me." Davis nodded toward where the man was still cuffed to the metal machine in the corner. "I told him to put down his weapon and as he was doing so, Chevchinko pulled a gun out of his jacket. Sully shot him." 

Swersky nodded. "That'll do for now." 

"Is there any word on Bosco and Yokas yet?" he asked hopefully.

"No, not yet. But several teams of FBI agents and National Guard troops are searching the islands off the East Coast as we speak."

* * *

Bosco opened his eyes, but everything was blurry and he closed them almost instantly. He groaned as his head pounded, making him wish he was still unconscious. What the hell happened? he wondered. 

Some distant thought tugged at his mind, though he wasn't sure what it was right away. Something about Faith? And a horse? A feeling of urgency flooded through his veins. He had to remember, though he wasn't sure why. He just knew it was important that he did so right away. 

He tried to ignore the pain in his head and struggled to open his eyes again. He blinked several times in rapid succession, trying to clear his vision. 

The room was silent and dimly lit. He could see an old coal heater in the corner of the room across from him. He frowned deeply. He didn't remember being in this room before. How did I get here? He glanced around and suddenly found himself staring in horror at the sight before him.

In the center of the room, suspended just a couple of inches off the floor by a rope that hung from the ceiling and bound her wrists together, was Faith. 

He immediately tried to rise to his feet, but found that he was in fact, already standing. He turned and saw that his own wrists were shackled to the wall behind him by metal chains. 

Everything came flooding back to him. He remembered trying to wrestle the shotgun away from the man on horseback, but instead wound up on the ground from a blunt force trauma to the head before everything had grown dark. He could only guess that the bastard had knocked Faith out, as well. 

//"We were caught by a man on horseback. Most of them will just kill you, but the guy who found us...he's sadistic...he made me...made me watch. The things he did to her..."// Danny's words echoed in his mind and he felt a cold chill go through his body, followed by a rush of adrenaline that made him forget all about his aching head. 

"Faith," he whispered loudly, pulling against the shackles. She wasn't moving, she was just hanging there limply, the toes of her shoes just barely dragging the concrete floor. Blood trickled down the side of her head. "Faith, wake up!" he urged. "Come on, wake up!" 

After several moments, he saw her eyes start to flutter. 

"Faith! Faith, can you hear me?" he said anxiously. 

"Bosco..." she mumbled. 

"Yeah, it's me. Are you all right?" He watched as she tried to move, her eyes flying open when she found herself unable to do so. 

"What's going on?" She tilted her head back and saw her arms suspended above her head. Then she looked over at him with widened eyes. 

"I can't move, either," he said, tugging against the chains again.

Faith took a deep breath, refusing to give in to the growing panic that threatened to consume her. Then she looked around the dimly lit room. She could make out the outline of a staircase that lead upward behind the wall Bosco was chained to. There was a small, wooden table to her right that had nothing on it. 

"Are you okay?" 

She looked at him. "I'm peachy. You?" 

"Your head's bleeding," Bosco replied, ignoring her sarcasm. 

As soon as he said the words, she could feel the blood trickling slowly down her face. "I think I'm all right. Are you?" 

"Other than a massive headache, I think I'm okay. Any chance you can get loose?" 

She looked up at the rope binding her hands together. She tried to twist her hands to pull them free, but only made the thick twine dig painfully into her skin. Her arms were already aching from hanging the way she was. "I don't think so." 

"Dammit," he muttered, yanking against the shackles. "Well, there has to be a way out of here. There has to be." 

She forced her wrists apart as far as they could go, which was barely at all, wincing in pain as she struggled to pull free again. Whoever the guy was that captured them knew what he was doing when he'd tied the knot. There was practically no slack in the rope whatsoever. But that wasn't about to stop her from trying to get free. 

"If that loony tune escaped from this guy, we should be able to, too. Maybe there's a chink in this chain somewhere." Bosco started examining the metal carefully, hoping to spot a flaw he could work with.

At that moment, they both heard the sound of a door opening. Their gazes locked on each other. 

She felt her heartbeat quicken in time with the heavy footsteps that clonked down the steps. The large man came into view a second later. He looked from her to Bosco, then back to her. She could make out a smile on his face. 

"Oh, good. My guests are awake." 

"If this is how you accomodate your guests, I'd hate to see what you do with your prisoners," Bosco said sarcastically.

The man chuckled and gazed at Faith for a moment before walking over to her. "How's my pretty little kitten?" he asked, reaching out and touching her face. 

Faith jerked away from his touch, glaring at him. 

"Ooh. I do believe my kitty is a bit of a wild cat." He turned to look at Bosco, who was also glaring at him with hatred. "I'll have fun breaking her." 

Bosco pulled against the chains as hard as he could, wanting nothing more than to wrap his hands around the man's neck and squeeze the life out of him. "Leave her the fuck alone!" 

"Such language." The man tsked and shook his head. "But sorry. Afraid I have lots of plans for the two of you. It'll be fun." He turned and smiled at Faith. "I'll be back soon." Without another word, he turned and walked back up the stairs, closing the door behind him.

Faith and Bosco's eyes met. 

"We have to get out of here," he said, urgency in his voice. 

She didn't disagree.

* * *

"Did you call Taylor and let her know you were okay?" Sully asked his partner as they returned to the 55th precinct.

"Yeah, while you were talking to Swersky." 

"That's good." His gaze locked on his wife, who was nervously pacing the floor in the waiting area. 

She turned and saw him, her eyes widening and a look of relief crossing her face as she hurried toward him. "John! You are okay?" 

Sully nodded, pulling her into a hug. "I'm okay." 

"Thank God." 

"You don't have to run anymore," he whispered in her ear. 

Tatiana pulled away slightly, confused. "What do you mean?" 

"Chevchinko's dead, Tatiana. He can't hurt you again." 

Tears filled her eyes as she stared at him. "It's over?" 

"It's over," Sully confirmed, his voice gentle.

She hugged him tightly as she began to cry. 

"It's not quite over," Davis said, his voice quiet.

Sully and Tatiana both turned to look at him.

"Bosco and Yokas are still missing," he reminded them. All three of them fell silent.

* * *

"Did you miss me while I was gone?" the man asked with a grin as he returned to the basement awhile later, carrying a large duffle bag in his hands.

"Almost as much as I miss having teeth pulled without novicaine," Bosco replied, glaring at him.

The man looked at Faith. "He always this much of a smart ass?" 

She didn't reply.

He walked over to her, flipping on a light on the way and setting his bag down on the table to her right. He stood in front of her, staring at her face for a long moment, then lifting his gaze to her hands. "Surely you haven't been trying to escape, have you, kitty cat?" He shook his head, sighing as though he was disappointed with her. "You've gone and torn yourself all up. Shame on you. That's *my* job." 

"Leave her the hell alone," Bosco commanded, his eyes dark.

The man ignored him, instead going over and unzipping the bag, removing several items from it and laying them on the table. He selected a sharp hunting knife and returned to stand in front of her. 

Faith's heart began to pound harder, but she forced herself to remain calm and silent, to keep her face void of emotion. 

"You don't want to do this. You hurt her in anyway and you're gonna be really sorry," Bosco warned through gritted teeth as he tugged against the metal chains.

Wordlessly the man raised the knife to her throat, a smile on his lips. He ran the tip of the blade across her skin, not cutting her, but showing her how sharp it was and how easy it would be to slit her throat. Then he lowered the blade to the collar of her shirt and jerked it downward in one swift motion, slicing the material completely in half. Without hesitation, he yanked her shirt off, leaving her topless except for her bra. 

She flinched, but only slightly.

He set the knife back down on the table and his eyes swept over her body. He reached out and fiddled with one of her bra straps, smiling. He turned to look at Bosco. "What do you think? Shall we see the rest of her?" 

"You sick son of a bitch. When I get loose I'm gonna rip your fucking arm off and stuff it up your ass!" Bosco snapped. 

He raised an eyebrow and turned back to her. "Your boyfriend has a foul mouth." He took a step away from her, studying her body intensely. He reached out and touched her stomach. "You have a very firm body. Do you work out?" 

Faith remained silent, refusing to give into him in any way.

His eyes narrowed and he backhanded her hard in the mouth. "When I ask you a question, bitch, you'd better answer me!" 

She heard Bosco cursing loudly and could taste the coppery flavor of blood in her mouth, though she did her best to ignore the pain. 

"Now. Let's try this again. Do you work out?" the man asked calmly.

Faith glared at him defiantly. Then she spat in his face, not caring if he hit her again. 

He reached up and wiped the spit off his cheek. Then he leaned in close to her face. "You will pay for that," he said darkly. He walked over to the table and pulled something else out of his bag. He held it up for her to see. "Do you know what this is?" 

She resisted the urge to tell him to go to hell. 

"They use it to brand cattle so when one wanders away from the herd, everyone knows who it belongs to." He brought it over to her, showing her the L-shaped brand at the end. "The L is for Larry. I'm gonna use it to teach you that you belong to me now." Without warning, he swung it back and slammed it across her stomach, laughing when she gasped for breath, unable to do a thing to lessen the pain since she couldn't move. 

"I'm going to kill you!" Bosco shouted.

Larry turned and looked at him. "Oh, I don't think so. Besides, I've only just begun." He walked over to the coal heater, opened the metal door and stuck the end of the branding iron into the fire. "What do you think? Neck? Shoulder? Back?" he pondered aloud as he waited for the iron to get good and hot. 

Bosco looked straight at Faith, refusing to look away from the pain and fear she was trying to hide but that her eyes couldn't quite disguise. He might not be able to stop the bastard from hurting her, but he wasn't about to allow himself the relief of looking away. It was the only thing he could do to let her know he wasn't going to abandon her emotionally. 

Faith met his gaze and held it, knowing that he needed her to stay strong, but that his unwavering gaze was also an offer to *be* her strength. She heard Larry walking up behind her and she bit down hard on her tongue and kept her eyes on Bosco's face as she waited tensely for the pain to come.

She felt him stroke the curve of her back and she suppressed a shudder. 

"Are you ready, kitty cat?" Larry asked, his breath on her neck, his fingers pulling some of the hair back out of her face, stroking it gently like he was her lover. He kissed her cheek. "The pain won't last too long, but, please, feel free to scream, kitten." He kissed her ear, then her neck and for a second she was sure she was going to vomit. "I want to hear you scream." 


	12. 11

Title: The Rules of the Game (11/?)

Author: X_tremeroswellian

Email: X_tremeroswellian@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: Only in my dreams do I actually own anything. All are property of Edward Allen Bernero and John Wells.

Rating: PG-13 for language, violence and sexual content 

Spoilers: Up through and including "233 Days." 

Summary: Bosco and Faith find themselves in a predicament in which they can use only their instincts to survive. 

Distribution: My site Only Time, 55-HQ, and fanfiction.net. Others, just ask and I'll probably say yes. 

Category: Story

Subcategories: Action/adventure/thriller/suspense/romance/friendship/drama/angst...does that narrow it down too much? *wink wink*

Feedback: Makes me write faster. 

Author's Note: I sort of got this idea from a third season episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But just for the very general plot idea. The rest came out of my own messed up mind. :)

Author's Note II: This part is rated R just because...well...it's still a bit more graphic than PG-13 stuff, and the language gets a bit offensive...what can I say? Bosco has a potty mouth ;)

Dedication: For Dem and Bree

* * *

The Rules of the Game (Part Eleven)

Faith hung limply from the rope, nearing exhaustion. She didn't know how long she'd been down in the basement, but it felt like hours. She watched wearily as Larry stood in front of her, glaring at her with hatred and blocking her view of Bosco. He still held the thin leather whip in his hands, though he had ceased using it on her after the ninth lash. She idly wondered what form of torture he had planned for her next. 

Every inch of her body ached--her arms, her legs, her stomach and ribs and her back. She wasn't sure she'd ever been in so much pain. But despite all his attempts, she hadn't given into the pain. She hadn't screamed. 

It was a small victory on her part to deny him that satisfaction.

Not to mention that hearing her scream would only increase the despair she saw in Bosco's eyes. At first there had only been pure, unadulterated rage in his blue eyes. When she saw that rage any other time it made her nervous--not that Bosco would hurt her because she knew without a doubt he wouldn't--but it made her nervous because he usually got that look right before he did something that would either end in a reprimand or a hospital visit on his part. Seeing that rage in his eyes this time had given her the strength to endure the pain that Larry was inflicting on her. 

But after awhile, the rage had slowly given way to sorrow, to fear and despair. And guilt. She knew he felt guilty for not being able to stop Larry from hurting her. But she wasn't used to seeing that combination of emotions in his eyes and it both alarmed and set off a distant feeling of despair in her that she wrestled to keep at bay. She wished desperately that his rage would return, that seeing his anger would refuel the adrenaline in her and squash that despair all together. 

Larry was still glaring at her, but then a small smile curled onto his lips.

Faith felt an impending sense of dread take hold of her. Despite her will to stay strong, she knew her body couldn't take much more. 

"You're a tough bitch," he said, moving a step closer to her. "But even tough bitches can be broken. And there's one way that never fails." His grin widened, his eyes hard, cold. Not human. "The oldest punishment known to man." 

Icy cold tendrils of fear wrapped around her spine. 

Larry reached out and unfastened the button on her jeans. "Don't worry. I won't tear you up. Much," he said with a laugh, his breath hot in her ear. 

* * *

"This was a good idea," Sully said softly to Tatiana as they walked into St. James Cathedral with Davis and Steve Gusler behind them.

She smiled at him as they walked toward one of the pews. 

"Hey." 

They all looked over and saw Alex standing a few feet away. Just past her were Doc, Carlos and Jimmy. 

"Guess we all had the same thought," Davis remarked, reaching out and taking her hand. 

"It was actually Kim's idea," Doc said, his voice low. 

"Where is Kim?" Sully asked, his eyebrows furrowed. 

"She went to light a candle," Carlos informed them, looking somewhat uncomfortable. 

They were all silent for a moment. 

"John, let's sit down," Tatiana said softly.

He nodded and sat beside her on the nearest empty pew. The others all did the same, Davis taking the space on his other side. 

Sully watched as his wife folded her hands together, resting her forehead on them as she closed her eyes, her lips moving in silent prayer. He closed his eyes and did the same. 

* * *

Fear shot through Bosco as he watched Larry unzip the zipper on Faith's jeans. He knew without a doubt what the bastard was planning to do next. 

He had to stop him somehow. He had to.

Coverting his fear into anger, he glared at the man with more hatred than he'd realized he was capable of possessing.

"Hey, you motherfucker! Does it make you feel good to hurt girls? Make you feel like a man?" he demanded.

Larry didn't respond, but Bosco didn't let that stop him. "You're not a man. You're a pussy boy. The only reason you're hurting her is because you're too much of a fucking wuss to face me! Why don't you grow a pair, then come over here and act like a real man?" 

Larry turned and shot him a glare, momentarily forgetting about Faith. 

"What's the matter, sissy boy?" Bosco taunted. "Your mom not pay enough attention to you when you were a kid? Or did she pay too much attention to you?" 

"Shut up!" 

"You're nothing but a pansy-ass mama's boy!" 

Larry's eyes darkened and he took a menacing step toward Bosco.

That's right. Focus your attention on me, you sick fuck, he thought. "Does she still hold your hand when you go to the potty? She wipe your ass for you, too?" 

"I said shut your mouth!" Larry shouted, grabbing a gun from the bag on the table and aiming it at him.

* * *

Kim knelt down on her knees at the front of the cathedral after she lit three candles: one for Faith, one for Bosco, and one for Bobby. Always one for him.

She took a deep breath. "Bobby," she whispered, her heart aching at the sound of his name on her lips. "Bobby, I know that you can hear me and I really need your help. Two of our friends are missing and they're in a lot of danger." 

She swallowed hard, closing her eyes and picturing his face in her mind. His warm eyes, his gentle smile. All in such vivid detail that she could almost feel his presence, as though he was standing right beside her. 

"Please watch over them," she said softly. "Please bring them back home to their families and friends safely." 

Kim felt tears form beneath her eyelashes. "I miss you so much, Bobby. I can't lose anyone else." She swallowed hard again. "Please take care of them. I love you," she whispered. 

She felt a hand squeeze her shoulder and she opened her eyes, expecting to see Alex or Doc standing behind her. But when she looked over her shoulder, she realized there was no one there. 

Her eyes widened slightly as she saw all of her friends sitting near the back of the cathedral. She closed her eyes again, a gentle smile on her lips as a sense of peace came over her. 

Faith and Bosco were going to be okay.

She knew it with absolute certainty.

* * *

Faith stared in horror as Larry pointed the gun at Bosco's head, walking closer to him. She looked up at the rope binding her wrists. She struggled, praying for a miracle. 

Suddenly the knot in the rope loosened, as if some unseen hands had untied it. 

Her eyes widened as she pulled her hands free, dropping to the ground and landing on her feet without a sound. Pain shot up her injured ankle, the jolt echoing pain throughout her body but she ignored it, reached out and wrapped her hands around the metal branding iron and then crept up behind Larry silently.

* * *

Bosco glared at Larry as the man walked toward him, gripping the gun tightly. 

"What? You've got nothing to say now, shortie?" Larry asked with a sneer.

Bosco saw movement from behind the other man. He couldn't help the smirk that formed on his face. "Actually, I do." 

"Oh, yeah? What's that?" 

"You might want to take something for that headache." 

"What heada--" 

Before Larry could finish his question, Faith brought the heavy branding iron crashing down over his head. His gun clattered to the floor a few feet away as he fell down to the ground. 

"That headache," Bosco replied sardonically.

Larry started to sit up, glaring hatefully at Faith. "I don't know how you got loose, bitch, but you're gonna be sorry!" 

She slammed the rod against his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. "Actually, you're the one who's gonna be sorry," she informed him, her voice raspy. She knelt down and picked the gun off the floor, rising slowly to her feet again as she pointed it at him. "You chose the wrong woman to fuck with." 

Bosco stared at her--not in surprise, but amazement that she was even able to stand.

"Unlock him," she commanded Larry, nodding her head toward Bosco.

"Screw you." 

Faith aimed the gun at his groin. "Shooting you there probably wouldn't kill you, but I bet it would hurt like hell. Shall I test that theory?" 

"You're a girl. You probably don't even know how to shoot a gun, let alone be able to hit your target." 

She smiled faintly, but it was a smile devoid of humor. "You'd be surprised what they teach a girl at the New York City Police Academy." 

Larry stared up at her. "You're a--" 

"Police officer? Yeah. And so is he. Now get your ass off the floor and unlock him before I decide to see if I can hit the world's tiniest target!" Faith snapped, losing patience with him.

Bosco couldn't help but grin and feel proud.

Larry started to stand up.

"You try anything, and I won't hestiate to shoot you," she warned, cocking the gun.

He pulled some keys out of his pocket, a scowl on his face as he reached out and unlocked the shackles around Bosco's wrists. 

Bosco grabbed him the instant he was free and slammed him up against the wall, all the helplessness he'd been feeling for what seemed like hours as Larry hurt his partner turning into rage again. "Don't worry. The pain won't last long. But please, feel free to scream all you want!" 

Bosco punched him in the face; once, twice. Then he grabbed him and shoved him hard, knocking him to the floor. He kicked him in the ribs, watching Larry's face contort in pain.

"Stop," he croaked, trying to shield his stomach from the blows.

"What? You can deal it out, but you can't take it?" Bosco kicked him again, harder this time, feeling angrier by the second. "You're a lowlife, fucking piece of trash!"

Larry tried to roll away, but Bosco tackled him, slamming his fists against the bastard's face, his chest, bloodying his nose, his mouth.

"Did you think you could just hurt her and get by with it?" he demanded furiously. "Maybe I should go heat up that branding iron and show you what if feels like, you son of a bitch!" 

"You're crazy!" Larry choked out.

"Yeah? Well, you're a fucking psychopath!" He punched him in the face again.

"Please stop!" 

He paused. "You think I should show you some mercy?" 

Larry stared up at him silently.

Bosco leaned down, glaring at her more intensely. "I don't recall you showing Faith any mercy when you were torturing her!" he growled. He wrapped his hands around the guy's throat, squeezing hard. "And I don't even need any tools to cause you pain!" 

He started to choke, reaching up to try and pull Bosco's hands away, but finding himself unable to do so. His face began to turn red from lack of oxygen.

"That's enough." Her voice was quiet, but firm.

Bosco let go of his throat, glaring down at him as he sucked in air. "You're lucky she's a good person. Because if I had my way, I'd put you six feet under without a second thought, you rotten bastard!" he spat. He hauled Larry to his feet, shoving him back against the wall. He snapped the shackles around Larry's wrists, then thought to search him for another set of keys or more weapons. 

When he didn't find anything, he started to step away, then stopped, a smirk on his face. "You know what they do to guys like you in prison?" 

Larry didn't answer.

"When they lock you up, I'm gonna make sure that your cellmate knows exactly what you do. I'm sure he'll have some nice welcoming presents for you." 

Without another word, Bosco turned around and looked at Faith, who was still clutching the gun tightly in her hands. Her face was pale, her eyes glassy. It suddenly occurred to him that she was probably going into shock. His anger faded and worry took its place.

Bosco moved toward her, gently took the gun from her hands and tucked it into the waistband of his jeans. "Let's get out of here, all right?" 

She nodded wordlessly.

He guided her toward the stairs. She was limping painfully. "You think you can make it?" 

"I think so." 

"All right, just lean on me, okay?" 

Faith didn't argue. She leaned against him as he carefully slid an arm around her waist to support her as they slowly ascended the steps. 

When the finally reached the top, Bosco turned the doorknob and swung the door open, pulling the gun out with his free hand, just in case. He moved away from Faith, scanning the room for signs of anyone else who might be there. Satisfied that there was no one else, he tucked the weapon away again and helped his partner out to the main room. He shut the door behind them, flicking the deadbolt that he was relieved to see there. Not that Larry had much of a chance of escaping the shackles, but the extra security was nice to have. 

Bosco took a moment to look around the room. The floor was wooden and there was no furniture in sight. A huge bearskin rug was spread out in front of the fireplace. The walls were adorned with deer heads, stuffed pheasants, and directly above the fireplace hung a giant moose head. Personally he'd never understood the appeal of hanging dead animals on the wall, but then again, he'd never really been into hunting as a sport, either. 

He shook his head, his gaze drifting down the narrow hallway to their left, then to the archway of another room to their right. "Wait here. I'm gonna check out the rest of this place, make sure it's safe." 

Faith simply nodded. 

* * *

They sat together on the bear skin rug, eating the can of green beans Bosco had found in the kitchen. They weren't half bad since he'd also found a pan to cook them in over the fire he'd built over the fireplace. 

Faith could feel him watching her, could sense his worry as he let her eat the last of the beans. She turned her head and met his gaze. "I'm okay, Boz." She was glad to hear that her voice was steady and calm.

Bosco nodded, though she knew he didn't believe her. He reached behind him where he'd set the first aid kit he'd found in the bathroom. "Why don't you let me, uh..." His voice trailed off as he removed an ace bandage, some bandaids, and a tube of antibiotic cream. Then he looked at her, silently waiting for her permission.

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded slowly.

He gave her a small smile and scooted closer to her. He unwound the ace bandage and then wrapped it around her ankle, pinning it closed. "Should help keep the swelling down," he told her. He squeezed the tube of antibiotic cream, then gently dabbed it onto the cut above her right eye. He covered it with a bandaid and paused, his hand lingering on her cheek.

Faith closed her eyes, exhaling slowly. She leaned her forehead against his, tears forming behind her eyelids. One escaped her eyelashes and slid down her face. She felt him press his lips against her cheek, his hand gently cradling the back of her head. 

"Let me see your back," he whispered.

"No." She shook her head, opened her eyes.

"I don't need you to protect me, Faith." 

Their eyes met. 

"You always take care of everyone else. Let me take care of you for once." Bosco looked at her with pleading eyes.

"Okay," she agreed softly, another tear dripping down her cheek. 

He gently brushed it away with his thumb. "Lie down on your stomach." 

Faith winced as she stretched out on the rug, turning her head to the side as she rested it on her arms.

Bosco swallowed hard as he stared down at her back. The branded 'L' was just below her right shoulder blade, the skin blistered and raw. Then there were the whip marks--bright red stripes across her back in every direction. 

Tears formed in his eyes. "That bastard," he whispered. He reached for the antibiotic cream, squeezed some out of the tube and as gently as he could, dabbed some onto her wounds, flinching when she did. "Sorry, Faith," he said quietly.

"Hey, Boz?" Her voice was soft.

"Yeah?" 

"What do we do now?" 

He paused, then stretched out on the rug next to her, lying on his side facing her. "I think we'll be okay here for the night. Maybe try to get some sleep, figure out what to do in the morning." 

Faith gazed at him, turning so she was lying on her side, as well. She just nodded. 

He reached out and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then leaned closer, brushing his lips against hers. She returned the slight pressure for a moment, then he broke away and kissed her forehead. She closed her eyes, exhaustion finally taking over. 

"Get some sleep, Faith," Bosco whispered, moving closer to her. She rested her head against his chest and he draped his arm around her, careful not to brush against any of her wounds. He pressed another kiss to her forehead and shut his eyes, falling asleep almost instantly.


	13. 12

Title: The Rules of the Game (12/?)

Author: X_tremeroswellian

Email: X_tremeroswellian@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: Only in my dreams do I actually own anything. All are property of Edward Allen Bernero and John Wells.

Rating: PG-13 for language, violence and sexual content 

Spoilers: Up through and including "233 Days." 

Summary: Bosco and Faith find themselves in a predicament in which they can use only their instincts to survive. 

Distribution: My site Only Time, 55-HQ, and fanfiction.net. Others, just ask and I'll probably say yes. 

Category: Story

Subcategories: Action/adventure/thriller/suspense/romance/friendship/drama/angst...does that narrow it down too much? *wink wink*

Feedback: Makes me write faster. 

Author's Note: I sort of got this idea from a third season episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But just for the very general plot idea. The rest came out of my own messed up mind. :)

Dedication: For Dem and Bree

* * *

The Rules of the Game (Part Twelve)

Bosco opened his eyes slowly, his gaze immediately locking on Faith's face. She was gazing back at him. "Hey," he said, his voice low.

"Morning," she murmured. 

He leaned toward her and kissed her forehead, slightly startled by how natural making such a gesture of affection toward her felt lately. "How, uh...how are you feeling?" 

"Sore," Faith admitted, her eyes still tired. 

He nodded. 

"What about you? How's your head?" There was a hint of worry in her voice. 

It was almost ridiculous: just a few hours ago she'd been beaten and tortured by a psychopath and yet she was worried about him having a headache. "It's fine," he told her. 

She reached out and gently touched the side of his head, wincing slightly. "You're pretty bruised up, Bosco." 

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm not the only one." 

Faith smiled faintly.

He smiled back, then turned his head and pressed a kiss into the palm of her hand, closing his eyes. 

She bit her lip and removed her hand from his face. 

Bosco opened his eyes again, looked over at her. "Faith?" 

"We should, uh...we should figure out what we're gonna do." Her voice was quiet as she struggled to sit up, grimacing in pain, her hand coming to rest on her rib cage.

"Yeah, right. Of course," he said, feeling slightly confused as he, too, sat up. "Well...I don't think we should stay here. We need to figure out a way off this island." 

She nodded her agreement, not looking at him.

Bosco thought for a moment. "We should take his horse. That way you don't have to worry about walking. Plus, it'll be faster." 

"Good idea." 

He hesitated, glancing at her. "You're gonna need a shirt." He quickly pulled off his t-shirt and handed it to her. "Here. It's dirty, but..." He shrugged. 

Faith swallowed hard as she took the shirt from him, her eyes lingering on his bare chest. She felt her face flush with warmth and she tried to focus on pulling the shirt over her head. The material rubbed painfully against her back where the skin was burned, and she winced slightly. "Thanks," she murmured. 

"Sure." He could tell that she wanted to say something, but wasn't sure how to say it. He knew because it was the same way he felt. "Faith, I--" 

Just then, the door burst open. 

Bosco grabbed the gun off the floor and aimed it at the man and the woman standing in the doorway, guns in hand. "Hold it right there," he commanded, rising to his feet. 

"Officer Boscorelli? Officer Yokas?" the man asked. 

"Maybe. Who the hell are you?" 

"We're with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I'm Agent Reyes, this is Agent Doggett," the woman told him.

Faith looked up at Bosco with wide eyes. 

"Yeah? Then I guess you won't mind showing us some I.D.," Bosco answered, still keeping the gun trained on them. He wasn't about to take any chances. 

"Not a problem, Officer," Reyes told him. She slowly pulled out her badge and photo I.D., holding it out to him.

Bosco moved closer, glanced at the I.D. and quickly decided they were telling the truth. He turned to look at his partner and tucked the gun into the waistband of his jeans. "Looks like we're going home," he said as their eyes met. 

She smiled at him. He returned it, then turned back to the two FBI agents. "What the hell took you guys so long?" 

* * *

"What are you doing here so early?" Alex asked with a frown as she sat down across the table from Kim at the firehouse. 

Kim smiled at her. "Just waiting," she answered, sipping her mug of coffee. 

She raised an eyebrow. "For--?" 

"News on Bosco and Faith." 

"Ah." Alex's frown deepened slightly. "And just out of curiousity, what makes you think--?" 

"I've just got a good feeling about it," Kim responded mysteriously. "What are you doing here already?" 

She shrugged slightly. "I'm supposed to meet Ty for coffee in a little while. He wanted to swing by the precinct first, see if there had been any new developments in the search. Thought I'd wait here, do the same." 

At that moment, Doc rushed into the room. "Have you guys heard the news?" 

"What news?" Alex asked hopefully.

"They've just found Faith and Bosco. They're on a helicopter on their way back to the city. They need some buses to meet the choppers and transport to Mercy." Doc looked at them. "If you guys want to go, suit up and clock yourselves in." 

"Doc, wait." Alex shook her head, confused. "How many buses do they need for two people?"

"Apparently they weren't the only two on the island," he replied, disappearing down the steps.

Kim and Alex exchanged a look, then quickly headed up the stairs to change into uniform. 

* * *

Bosco peered out the window of the helicopter, his eyes widening slightly as he saw the crowd down below them. "There must be five hundred people out there!" 

Faith leaned over and looked, too. "Are they all there because of us?" she asked, shocked as she looked at Agents Doggett and Reyes. 

Reyes smiled. "Looks like." 

"When we land, an ambulance will transport you to the hospital. Your families are there waiting for you. There's extra security there to help you avoid the reporters," Doggett informed them.

Faith glanced at Bosco, who smiled at her. She smiled back.

The helicopter landed a few moments later. Doggett got out first, holding the door open as he ducked his head. Bosco followed him out, then turned and held his hand out to help his partner down. She slid her hand into his, allowing him to help her. She leaned against him for support as her ankle throbbed. 

The instant they were both out of the chopper, cheers rang out from the crowd. Camera flashes went off in every direction.

It was more than a little disorienting.

Bosco let go of her hand and quickly wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him protectively as they were instantly surrounded by reporters. He squinted his eyes from the flashing lights.

"What was it like being stranded on an island?" 

"What did you do for food for the past four days?" 

"How do you feel right now?" 

"Everyone back up! Give them some space!" a familiar voice shouted.

He looked up and saw Sully, Davis, Gusler, Swersky, Christopher, and several other officers from the 55th precinct working crowd control. They managed to get the reporters back as two ambulances pulled up toward them and stopped.

"You two all right?" Sully asked, making his way toward them. 

Bosco glanced down at Faith, who gave Sully a smile. "We're okay," he told his friend, nodding. 

"Man, are we glad to see you two," Alex Taylor exclaimed, grinning broadly as she, Kim, Doc and Carlos pushed through the crowd to get to them. 

"Amen to that," Kim agreed.

"Are either of you hurt?" Doc asked, concern in his eyes. 

"We need to get Faith to the hospital right away," Bosco answered, relieved to see their friends, but worried about his partner's injuries.

"I'm okay," she said, though she was talking more to him than the others.

"We're taking you both to Mercy just to be on the safe side," Carlos replied.

"Fred and the kids are already there waiting, and so is your mom, Bosco," Kim told them.

"If one of you wants to come with me and Carlos, the other can go with Kim and Alex," Doc said.

"No, we go together," Bosco replied instantly, anxiety forming in his stomach at the thought of leaving her side. She moved closer to him--such a small movement that the others didn't even realize she'd moved. But he knew. 

Doc looked back and forth between the two of them, then nodded. "Okay, why don't you two ride over with Kim and Taylor and Carlos and I will wait for the next chopper. But we'll see you at the hospital in a little while." 

"Thanks, Doc." Faith smiled at him.

"I'm glad you're both safe," he answered, returning the smile. He and Carlos headed away. 

"You guys ready?" Kim asked, glancing at them, then back at the crowd. 

"Yeah, let's get out of here," he answered, helping Faith toward the ambulance as Kim and Alex led the way. 

As they reached the back of the bus, Davis and Swersky greeted them. "You guys okay?" Davis asked immediately.

Faith glanced at Bosco. "I think we'll live," she answered, trace of a smile on her lips. 

"Good to know," he replied, smiling back, a relieved look on his face. 

"We'll give you an escort to Mercy," Swersky told them. 

"Thanks, Sir," Bosco said, nodding at him. 

The lieutenant started to turn and walk away. He paused, then turned to face them again. "It's good to have you back. Both of you," he said, his voice low as he gazed at them.

"It's good to be back," Faith said seriously. "Thanks for everything you've done. Agent Reyes told us about all the efforts you and everyone at the 55th went through to find us." 

Swersky smiled at her. "We take care of our own," he replied. Without another word, he turned and walked toward one of the squad cars. 

"Glad you guys are okay," Davis said again, then turned and followed his boss. 

Bosco glanced at Faith, then at Alex and Kim. "Let's get to the hospital." 

"I'll drive," Alex volunteered, heading to the front of the ambulance. 

Kim stepped up into the back of the bus, and motioned for them to follow. 

He followed her in, then reached down to help lift Faith up. She winced slightly as she stepped up, but quickly leaned against him to take the pressure off her foot. He helped her sit down on the bench and then sat down next to her. Kim closed the doors behind them. 

* * *

"Do you have any pain in your ribs?" 

Bosco gazed through the window to the next trauma room and saw Faith gazing back at him as Dr. Thomas talked to her.

"Officer Boscorelli?" 

He relunctantly looked away from his partner's face and turned his gaze on the doctor. "What?" 

"Do you have any pain in your ribs?" 

"No, I told you, I'm fine. Are we done here?" he asked impatiently, glancing back at Faith again.

"I'd like to keep you overnight. A concussion's a very serious--"

"Forget it," Bosco interuppted, sliding down off the exam table. "Where do I sign out?"

"Right here," the young doctor replied, handing him a clipboard.

Bosco looked at him in surprise. 

"Dr. Thomas warned me about you." 

He couldn't help smiling as he signed the release form. He turned and walked out the door, finding himself instantly surrounded by his friends and colleagues.

"You all right, man?" Donaldson asked. 

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said quickly, edging his way toward the next trauma room.

"Anything we can get you? Something to eat?" Sully suggested.

"Oh, hell yes," Bosco replied, his stomach growling loudly at the thought of food.

"What do you want?"

He opened his mouth and started to say 'pizza' but then changed his mind. "You know that little Mexican joint on Division Street?" 

"Yeah," Davis said, nodding.

"Faith loves their burritos, so get plenty of those. We've barely eaten in four days." 

"Got it." 

"How is Yokas?" Turner asked.

"I'll let you know," Bosco replied, turning and opening the door of the trauma room she was in. 

Proctor turned to kick out whoever had just walked in, but when she saw Bosco, she just smiled and turned back to Faith. "I'll get Dr. Thomas back in here." She left the room.

He walked over to her. "So, what's the news?" he asked, worried.

"Sprained ankle, some cuts and bruises. Dr. Thomas said in a couple weeks we'll do the skin-grafting for the burn." She looked down at the floor, then back up at him. "What about you?" 

"Mild concussion, nothing to worry about," he assured her. He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You sure you're okay?" 

"I'm okay," she promised, gazing at him. "Proctor went to get Dr. Thomas to do a couple stitches." 

Bosco studied the gash on the side of her head, then leaned forward and kissed it gently. He pulled away slowly, his eyes locked on her face.

Faith broke the gaze, shifting uncomfortably. "Chevchinko's dead." 

He frowned, perturbed by her change of behavior in the last twenty-four hours. "Yeah, I heard. Good riddance." 

She nodded her agreement.

"Sullivan and Davis went to get us some food from that Mexican joint you like so much." 

"Thank God. I'm starving." 

"You and me both." Bosco sat down beside her on the exam table and waited.

Dr. Thomas returned a moment later. "Okay, let's get this over with so you can see your families." 

"That would be good," she agreed.

"This is going to sting a bit," he told her.

Wordlessly, Bosco reached over and took her hand, squeezing it gently. She squeezed it back in silent thanks. 

It only took a couple minutes to stitch her up. "Your families are down the hall in one of the private rooms on the right," Dr. Thomas told them. He walked over to where one of the nurses had leaned a pair of crutches against the wall. He brought them over to Faith.

"Thank you," she said gratefully. She slid slowly off the table, hoisting herself onto the crutches with ease.

Bosco held the door open for her, then followed her out of the room.

"Yokas, you all right?" Garrison asked.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just a sprained ankle," she told her colleagues with a smile. "I'm on my way to see my kids." 

"If you two need anything..." Alex said, gazing at them. Kim nodded her support.

"Thanks," Bosco said to them.

"Ma'am?" 

Faith turned and saw Gusler standing a few feet away, clutching his service cap in his hands nervously. "Hi, Steve." 

He gave her a shy smile. "I'm glad you're okay." He glanced at Bosco nervously. "You, too." 

She smiled at him. "Thanks." 

Bosco glanced at Faith, then back at Gusler. He extended his hand out. "Thanks, Gusler." 

Gusler's eyes widened as he shook Bosco's hand.

Faith smiled gently before she turned and headed down the hallway on her crutches, Bosco following behind her. She glanecd into each room until she spotted Angela Boscorelli pacing nervously inside the third room on the right. She stopped abruptly and looked at her partner.

He looked into the room, then back at her. 

She saw the apprehension in his eyes. "Everything's gonna be fine," she promised, her voice low.

Bosco smiled at her slightly and nodded. "Thanks." He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and moved to the doorway. "Ma?" 

Angela turned around, her eyes widening and filling with tears. Wordlessly, she rushed toward him and threw her arms around his waist.

He was shocked by his mother's reaction. Before he and Faith had disappeared, he and his mom hadn't talked in weeks. She'd still been angry with him for arresting Mikey.

"Thank God you're all right, Maurice." 

He hesitated only a moment, then he hugged her back tightly.

"I was afraid I'd never see you again." His mom pulled away from him and looked up at his face, resting her hand against his cheek. 

"Me too," he admitted, swallowing hard.

Faith watched as Bosco and his mom hugged again and she felt tears shining in her eyes. Bosco turned to look at her and she smiled at him. He smiled back, holding her gaze as he and his mom hugged.

"MOM!" 

She quickly tore her eyes away from her partner's face as she heard the familiar voices. She turned and saw her kids running toward her, Fred a few steps behind them. 

Charlie threw his arms around her waist, hugging her fiercely. "Mom, I missed you so much!" 

She instantly hugged him back, pressing her lips to the top of his head. "Me, too, baby," she whispered.

Emily joined in the hug, tears in her eyes. "We were so worried about you. Are you okay?" 

"Yeah, Em, I'm okay. Just a sprained ankle, no big deal," Faith told her, kissing her forehead. She looked up at her husband, who was gazing at her silently. "Hi." 

Fred smiled at her. "Hi."

"Uncle Bosco!" Charlie ran over and hugged him tightly, as well. 

"Hey, Champ," Bosco said, smiling down at him. He hugged Faith's son, then her daughter as Emily rushed to his side, too.

Faith watched her kids with her partner and swallowed hard as a rush of unidentifiable emotions swept over her. 

"You really okay?" 

She turned to look at Fred, who wore a concerned expression on his face. "Yeah, I'm okay." 

He nodded, glanced past her to where Bosco and the kids were. Then his eyes focused on her again. "For what it's worth...I'm really glad you're both all right." 

Faith gazed at him, somewhat surprised by his words. "Thank you. It means a lot," she said softly. 

"Uncle Bosco, I knew Mom was going to be okay because I knew you'd take care of her," Charlie told him, grinning. 

Bosco gave him a half-smile, his gaze flickering over to Faith. "Actually, it was the other way around," he said, meeting his partner's gaze.

"Thank you for taking care of my son," Angela said as she walked over to Faith's side and gave her a quick hug. 

Faith smiled at her, then looked at Bosco. "Well, the truth is...we took care of each other," she said quietly.

Bosco smiled back at her, not sure if that was really true, but it felt good to hear her say the words anyway. 

"Hate to break up the reunion, but we're going to need you both to come down to the station to fill out reports," Christoper said as he walked up. 

"Can't it wait?" Bosco demanded, giving him a dirty look.

"No, it can't. You've been missing for four days. We need to know everything that happened so we can put all the people responsible behind bars as soon as possible." 

Faith glanced at Bosco, then Christopher and sighed. "Can you give us a couple more minutes? Please?" 

He nodded, his expression softening slightly. "Sure." He turned and walked away.

She looked down at her kids, who were hugging her again. "I have to go to work for a few hours, but I'll see you both again in a little while, okay?" 

Emily and Charlie both nodded, then let go of her. Fred put a hand on each of their shoulders. "Just call the cell phone when you're ready, I'll bring them right over." 

Faith nodded. "Thanks, Fred." She glanced at Bosco, who was watching her intently. "You ready?"

He nodded, glanced at Fred, then back at her. "Yeah." 

"Let's get this over with." 

* * *

"I can't believe it." Alex shook her head.

"It's weird," Davis agreed as he sat at the firehouse with her, Kim, Doc and Carlos.

"How did she get loose? That's what I don't get," Carlos said, frowning.

"She said it's like someone untied the ropes," Davis told him, shrugging. "But no one was there."

"That is bizarre."

"I don't know. I believe in a higher power," Doc spoke up, his voice quiet. "Miracles happen all the time." 

"Yeah, they do," Kim said softly, gazing at the tabletop. She slowly rose to her feet. "Well, I'm gonna head home. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Bye, Kim," Alex said, nodding at her.

She waved at them, then headed down the steps of the firehouse. She walked outside, looked up at the night sky at all of the stars twinkling above her. "Night, Bobby," she whispered. "Thanks for helping them." 

There was a brief, comforting squeeze on her shoulder and she knew if she turned around, no one would be standing there. At least not physically. A small smile touched Kim's lips as she felt that peaceful feeling wash over her again. 

Everything was going to be all right. 

Still smiling, she took a deep breath of the fresh, cool night air and started to walk home.

* * *

Note: Agents Doggett and Reyes are not mine. They belong to Chris Carter and Fox. I had not planned to do an X-Files crossover with this fic, so imagine my surprise when they showed up at the cabin. ;) Couldn't be helped. 


	14. Epilogue

Title: The Rules of the Game: Epilogue

Author: X_tremeroswellian

Email: X_tremeroswellian@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: Only in my dreams do I actually own anything. All are property of Edward Allen Bernero and John Wells.

Rating: PG-13 for language, violence and sexual content 

Spoilers: Up through and including "233 Days." 

Summary: Bosco and Faith find themselves in a predicament in which they can use only their instincts to survive. 

Distribution: My site Only Time, 55-HQ, and fanfiction.net. Others, just ask and I'll probably say yes. 

Category: Story

Subcategories: Action/adventure/thriller/suspense/romance/friendship/drama/angst...does that narrow it down too much? *wink wink*

Feedback: Makes me write faster. 

Author's Note: I sort of got this idea from a third season episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But just for the very general plot idea. The rest came out of my own messed up mind. :)

Dedication: For Dem and Bree

* * *

The Rules of the Game (Epilogue)

Faith sat curled up on her sofa in the darkness. The apartment was silent--too silent. Fred and the kids had left for the night so she could get some sleep and he'd promised to bring them back first thing the next morning. 

The only problem was, she couldn't sleep. She'd laid in bed for an hour and had been unable to get comfortable, so she'd moved to the sofa. But she hadn't been able to fall asleep there, either. 

Something wasn't right.

She couldn't put her finger on it, but something was bothering her. She sighed and laid her head back against the cushions. 

She briefly considered getting up to take another shower, but disregarded the idea because there was no hot water left after the forty-five minute one she'd taken as soon as she'd gotten home that night from the precinct. Besides, it hurt to stand for very long, anyway.

Filing all the paperwork at the station had taken hours. Then she and Bosco had to talk to the detectives, to Sgt. Christopher, to Lt. Swersky, and then the FBI. It had been exhausting.

She didn't understand why she couldn't fall asleep. 

Just then there was a knock on her door. It was soft--if she'd been asleep, she never would have heard it. Faith's gaze flickered to the clock on top of the television--11:21. Only one person in the world would knock on her door at that time of the night. She quickly grabbed her crutches and maneuvered her way over to the front door. 

She peered out the peep hole just to be certain. She was still in New York City and one could never be too careful. 

She smiled slightly, then unlocked the door and pulled it open. "Hi." 

Bosco gazed at her. "Hey. I, uh...I couldn't sleep and I thought maybe you might still be awake, so.." His voice trailed off and his gaze dropped to the floor.

Faith moved aside. "Come in." 

"Are you sure? You weren't asleep?" 

"I'm sure. Come in, Bosco." 

He gave her a half smile and slipped inside, glanced around the dark living room. His hands were stuffed into the pockets of his jeans--something he only did when he was nervous or unsure. 

"You want some tea or hot chocolate?" she offered.

"I could go for some hot chocolate," he answered with a shrug. "You want some, too?" 

"Yeah, just have a seat and I'll--" 

"I'll get it," he interrupted. 

Faith looked at him in surprise. 

"You're hurt. You're the one who should be sitting down. Besides, I know where everything is," Bosco told her. He motioned to the sofa, then disappeared into the kitchen.

She reluctantly sat down and propped her feet up on the table, leaning against the cushions and staring up at the ceiling.

He emerged from the kitchen a few moments later, carrying two mugs. He handed her one, then sank down next to her on the couch. 

Faith sipped the warm liquid and closed her eyes. Then she opened them again and looked over at him. "So you couldn't sleep either?" 

Bosco shook his head. "No, I couldn't shut my brain off. I just kept thinking about..." He didn't finish, just stared down at his mug of hot chocolate. 

She leaned forward, shifted her body so she was facing him. "What?" 

For a long moment, he was silent. She didn't think he was going to answer her. 

Then, "About what happened in that basement. I let you down, Faith. I'm sorry." 

"Let me...Bosco, what are you talking about?" she asked, confused.

"I didn't protect you. He hurt you and I didn't stop him." 

She set her mug down on the coffee table and touched his arm. "It's not your fault. He had you chained to a wall. There was nothing you could have done." 

"Yeah, but--" 

Faith touched his face, turned his chin so he was looking right at her. "Bosco, listen to me. You being there is the only thing that got me through. Maybe you couldn't save me physically, but you kept me sane." 

He swallowed hard, shut his eyes tightly. "I wanted to kill him, Faith. If you hadn't stopped me, I probably would've." She could feel the tension in his jaw beneath her hand. He opened his eyes and looked at her. 

"I'm okay, Boz," she promised, giving him a reassuring smile. 

He nodded, exhaled slowly. Then he sipped his drink again. "Hey, Faith." When he spoke this time, there was a timid, nervous edge to his tone.

Her heart sank a little. She knew without a doubt what he was thinking about now. Her mind flashed back to the kisses they'd shared on the island--particulartly that second one, the one he'd initiated. She felt heat rise to her cheeks as she thought about it. 

She vividly recalled the feel of his hands on her back as he'd pulled her down on top of him, remembered the feel of his lips on hers, on her neck, her shoulders. She wondered what would have happened between them if the hunters hadn't interrupted. 

No one had ever kissed her with that much passion before. Not passion, she corrected herself, a sadness pulling at her heart. They'd been in a high-stress, dangerous situation with only the other to count on. And in those kinds of situations, people did things they normally wouldn't. It didn't mean they were soulmates, or that the kisses actually meant anything. 

At least not to him. 

Faith realized she hadn't yet answered him, so she fixed her gaze on a spot on the wall behind him and stared at it, preparing herself. "Yeah?" 

"I think that, uh...we need to talk." 

She could hear the hesitation, the dread in his voice. He was trying to figure out how to tell her what she already knew without hurting her feelings in any way. Wanting it to be over with, she took a deep breath. "I know what you're going to say." 

Bosco frowned, his eyebrows furrowing. "You do?" 

"Yeah, and it's all right. I understand." 

"Understand what?" he asked slowly.

Damn it, he was going to make her say it. She didn't want to because saying the words would make them real. She picked up her mug without taking a drink and gripped it tightly in her hands. "That what happened on that island between us was a one time thing."

He stared at her, then leaned back against the sofa.

She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "It happens--fear and danger and stress make us do things we wouldn't at other times. There's no reason it should effect our partnership, or our friendship." Faith bit down on her lip, trying to will away the tears she felt building. It was so stupid. She could be brutally tortured by a psychopath and not cry, but here she was, reduced to tears by the only person on the planet she trusted absolutely with her life. She inwardly cursed herself.

"I...uh....so we're just gonna go back to the way things were before? Pretend like it never happened?" 

She swallowed hard, her heart aching even more. "Yeah. Seems like the most logical thing to do." 

"Logical," he repeated. "Right." He stared down at his mug. "And you're okay with that?" 

"Yeah. You're off the hook." 

"I'm off the hook?" He stared at her. "If you remember correctly, you kissed me first!" 

Faith sighed and closed her eyes, chiding herself for the remark. After all, he had a point. "Sorry. I'm just tired. I don't even know what I'm saying." 

"I don't believe you," he answered matter-of-factly, setting his mug on the table and refusing to look away. He felt a spark of hope ignite inside him.

She opened her eyes and glared at him. "Excuse me?" 

"I think you're pissed at me." 

"No, I'm not." 

"Yes, you are." 

She set her mug down, too, and folded her arms across her chest. "Are you calling me a liar?" 

"If the shoe fits..."

Faith's eyes narrowed. "Be glad you have a concussion because that's the *only* reason I'm not kicking you out of my apartment." 

"What if I said I wanted to be on the hook?" he asked suddenly, ignoring her comment.

A look of utter confusion crossed her face. "What?" 

"You said I was off the hook for kissing you. What if I don't want to be off the hook?" 

"Bosco--" 

"No, seriously. Maybe you're okay with telling yourself that what happened between us was just because of the situation and the fear, and I don't know, maybe that was part of it. But when I thought you were dead, Faith...I've never been that scared in my whole life." 

"That's normal, Boz. We're partners," she said softly. "You would have been just as upset if something had happened to Davis or Sully or any of the other officers at the 55th--" 

"No, you're wrong," Bosco interrupted, shaking his head. "Yeah, I would've been upset, but it wasn't about losing a partner. It was about losing *you.* You, Faith. Not someone I work with. Someone that I--" He stopped, stunned by the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

"Someone that you what?" Her voice was so soft he barely heard her. 

"Someone that I love." He swallowed hard. There it was. All out on the table. He held his breath, waited for her response. 

Faith looked away. "I think that...you should go." 

He stared at her, thrown by her words. "What?" 

"I don't want you to say things that you're going to regret in the morning, so--" 

"What? You don't think I know how I feel?" he demanded, starting to feel angry. "Or do you just think I'm not capable of loving someone and not screwing everything up?" 

She turned back to him, shaking her head. "Bosco, that's not what I meant." 

"What did you mean?" 

"Look, I think that you're just overwhelmed by everything that's happened and maybe--"

Frustrated, he cut her off, pressing his lips against hers and pulling her closer to him, his hands tangling in her hair. 

She laid her hands on his chest, felt the beating of his heart beneath the palm of her hand. She felt his arms wrap around her waist, pull her even closer until she was sitting on his lap. He reached up and cupped her face in his hands, caressed her cheek with his thumb. 

He broke the kiss a few seconds later and gazed at her as both of them tried to catch their breath.

Faith gazed back at him, feeling a little light-headed and dizzy as her heart raced. She wanted to say something, but her mind couldn't concentrate on a single thought long enough to form words.

"Tell me you didn't feel that, Faith," Bosco whispered. "Tell me you didn't feel anything between us just then and I'll leave." 

"Don't." 

"Don't what?" 

"Don't go," she said softly.

Before he even had a chance to respond, she was kissing him again. Relief washed over him and his eyes drifted shut as he returned her kiss. "I love you," he whispered between kisses. He laid down on the sofa, pulling her on top of him.

"I love you, too," Faith whispered back. She laid her head down on his chest.

Bosco smiled. "You know, I kinda wish Chevchinko wasn't dead." 

She pulled away. "What?" 

He shrugged, reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I didn't get to thank him for making me realize that the only woman I could ever be happy with has been by my side for the past eight years." 

Faith's expression softened and she smiled gently as their eyes met. "You know, I never would have though you'd feel that way about me." 

His eyebrows furrowed. "Why not?" he asked as she rested her head on his chest again.

"Because...I don't know. I'm not like the other women you've gone for in the past," she replied, shrugging a little.

"Trust me, that's a good thing."

She relaxed even more as she felt one of his hands rest on the small of her back as the other gently played with her hair. "And we're so different..." 

"That's why this is going to work. I keep you on your toes and you keep me grounded." 

"Except when we're leaping off waterfalls," she answered with a grin.

He chuckled. "Yeah, except then." He kissed the top of her head, heard her yawn. "You should get some sleep." 

Faith raised her head again and looked at him, uncertainty in her eyes. "I don't want you to leave, Bosco." 

"Who said anything about leaving?" 

She returned his smile. "Maybe we should go somewhere more comfortable." 

"Oh, I don't know, I'm pretty comfortable right here with you for a blanket," he told her with a grin.

She chuckled and shook her head, sitting up. She started to reach for her crutches, but he stopped her. Wordlessly, he stood up, reached for her hand, then pulled her to her feet. Then he picked her up, smiling when her eyes widened with surprise. He kissed her briefly, then carried her back to the bedroom. He gently sat her down on the bed. She pulled the blankets back, then scooted over to make room for him, looking up at him in the semi-darkness.

Bosco crawled under the covers beside her and laid down on his back, holding his arms out to her. 

Faith smiled and moved closer to him, sighing contentedly as he wrapped his arms around her. She rested her head on his chest and instantly relaxed as she listened to his heartbeat. Her eyes drifted shut and she fell asleep within minutes.

He felt a sense of inner peace settle in him as he focused on the quiet, steady sound of her breathing. Somehow he knew instinctively that he wouldn't have any bad dreams that night. Not as long as he was with her. 

They'd survived the game and they were both safe. Together.

And for the first time in his life, Maurice Boscorelli felt whole. 

He fell asleep moments later, a smile on his face.

The End


End file.
